Spawn of Saturn
by anaklusmos1
Summary: Stephanie thought she was your relativley average teenager. But she was far from the truth. Taken to Camp Half-Blood, she soon learns that she will never fit in because of her father. But who will she choose: The gods or the titans?
1. The Evil Snow Men v3

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy my story and I will appreciate every review and I hope you can make some suggestions. In the Title of the story I used Kronos' Roman name, Saturn as it sounds like Satan. **

**After complaints that the beginning of my story was too fast, I have decided to slow it down a bit as the start to a story is crucial. If your beginning is boring, the readers won't bother. Let me know what you think :D**

**Disclaimer's Note: I Do NOT own any of these characters except for Stephanie, Christina and Kim.**

The evil snow-men

It was a day I should have cherished and remembered, my fifteenth birthday. Instead, it was a disaster. But if I thought today was to be the worst, I had another thing coming.

"Stephanie Terri Martin! You're going to be late to your own party!" My mum yelled. I tripped up on one of my shoes and thudded to the floor.

"Are you okay there?" Mum asked

"Yeah" I groaned. Nothing would stop me from having my happy birthday. I ran down the stairs to the living room and smiled.

"You look nice" She said. I was wearing ripped style jeans which I would later regret, a nicley fitted t-shirt saying 'I'm with stupid'. Hopefully I could get Christina to stand at the side my t-shirt was pointing at. My long curly dark hair was co-operating with my today after spending some time curling it in place. "You have mail". Mail? Anybody I knew would have called, texted or e-maild. Who would snail mail me? Mum passed the letter. It was simply written 'Stephanie' in cursive on the envelope. It must have been hand delivered. Why couldn't they have just stopped over to say 'hi' if they knew where I lived? The letter said:

_My Dear Stephanie,_

_A destiny awaits you. I hope you are ready to do what is necessary. I have waited a long time to make contact with you and it is now time. You must be strong and be prepared to make sacrifices. I can not tell you much in great detail except that a man and a woman will be there to take you somewhere safe._

_Love, your Father_

My mum had been watching me intentley as I read the letter. A destiny? Somewhere safe? How can this guy send me a strange letter like this? I had hardly known the guy, though I had longed to. Mum had told me how much she loved him; how he had helped her after a horrific experience of which she had never told me of. But some things don't last forever, and Dad was in the army so he had to leave. Then one day he didn't come back. Mum thinks that the enemy had captured him and that he was still alive. It turns out she was right. I sat down on a sofa, dazed.

"He's really alive"

"Yes, he is and he'll be home soon. Then we can all be together again." That sounded nice.

"But he said I had to leave to go somewhere safe. Why?" Mum was looking slightly uncomfortable. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Of course not! Now come on, you'll be late to the ice skating party."

Mum drove me to the ice rink where I met with Christina and a group of our other friends. We all got our skates and zipped up our coats, preparing for the cold. I'm not very good at ice-skating or anything, I just do it for the fun of it. Falling on ones ass is more pleasurable than you would imagine- or at least watching other people do it. Yet it was summer so at least when we were going to leave, it would be warm. Among my friends was Christina, a friend I had known for the longest. She had always been the crazy monkey. Whilst we were ice-skating, I noticed a couple on the rink. He was tall with liquid black hair, a smart looking coat and scars on his face. She was beautiful with long black hair, violet eyes and she wore a sparkly blue scarf. I watched as she tripped up and fell on the smooth cold ice. The guy burst out laughing as he helped her up. She was obviously very annoyed and decided to leave the rink. He looked at me shortly before following after her. Something about his intelligent grey eyes made me feel curious. I skated to the exit section and watched the couple argue under their breath from a distance. When I realised they had seen me staring, I turned around, pretending to mind my own business.

"Hey" A deep voice said. I nearly jumped out of my skates. I turned around to see the man with the grey eyes and prominent scars on his face.

"Err, Hi."

"Did you get the letter?"

"Yeah."

"Good, then you had better come with us." The woman walked over to us.

"Why?" I asked.

"You're in danger" The woman said.

"I'm sorry but who are you guys?"

"Call me Kate. He's Theus, the one who _claims _to be a gentlemen but is really just like any other immature male." She spat.

"Okay, back to the matter at hand." Theus cut in. "You're in danger. Come with us and we'll explain everything."

"Sure, I'd might as well write my will whist I'm at it." I quipped. "I'm not stupid. I'm not wondering off with two strangers."

"Good grief, if only _he _would awaken and knock some sense into her."

"It is not yet time." Kate replied.

"Hey, who are your new friends?" Christina was now standing beside me.

"It doesn't matter. Come on, let's go skate." I said. Theus and Kate looked at each other.

"Magic may be needed to convince her." Kate asked.

"What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see..."

I got on the ice again and skated for some time. Ice started to build up around us. I turned to look at Kate and I saw a sinister smile on her face. The ice was starting to take shape. It took the form of a humanoid shaped beast. It roared at us and naturally, Christina roared back. It stood there bemused for a second but soon advanced on us. Soon, other ice monsters grew before our eyes. What were Kate and Theus up to? How was this happening and why did no one else notice it?

"Awesome!" Christina yelled. Trust her to see the 'positive' side of this. Honestly, am I the only normal one around here? The ice monsters were after us. There was nothing awesome about that. One attempted to punch me but I managed to trip up and somehow dodge it. Then out of nowhere, a sword pierced its chest from the other side. It exploded in front of me and turned into water. In front of me was a tall, muscular guy. He was wielding a glowing gold sword. He was nicely tanned with shaggy black hair and emerald eyes.

"Thanks for the save" I said

"The fight isn't over yet." He warned. He was right. There were plenty of these ice monsters left. How were we to fight them all? I didn't even have a weapon. "Kim, do your thing." He yelled out to a companion. Kim had long blonde hair and bright brown eyes.

"Sure thing, you guys might want to cover your eyes." She spread out her hands and a shimmering ball of light appeared. It grew brighter until I couldn't look anymore. When I finally opened my eyes again, the monsters had melted and there was an annoying spot everywhere. You know the one you get when you look directly into any light source.

The ice rink was now vacant apart from the four of us. People had used their common sense and had skated off. I looked around, searching for Kate and Theus but they were nowhere in sight. That relieved me slightly.

"Who are you guys?" I asked.

"I'm Percy Jackson. This is my friend Kim Ray. We were sent to save you from those monsters and bring you to safety." He explained.

"You two are in danger. You have powers you do not know of yet."

"Are we like mutants?" I asked

"Yes! I'm going to meet Professor Xavier!" Christina rejoiced. I rolled my eyes, feeling really embarrassed.

"All will be explained shortly." Kim replied. "First, we need to get you to camp."

Camp; outside embracing nature and bugs camp? Maybe I liked the idea of _Xavier's Institute for the Young Gifted and Talented_ better. As long as there were cute boys...


	2. A Dream Invasion

We arrived at a place Percy and Kim called 'Half Blood Hill'. It was strange how things had unfolded. I was afraid that my mum would be worried. How was I to know that I would be plunged into such a topsy-turvy world? The worst thing I later realised was her involvement in it all.

"You can mail your parents once you are briefed." Percy assured me. I nodded slowly. We were greeted by a man in a wheel chair in a building known as 'The Big House'.

"Good afternoon young ladies. I am Chiron, the activities Director. Here at Camp Half-Blood you will be welcomed with open arms and train to achieve your potential." After having been explained about the existence of gods, Titans and monsters, my mind was blown. How could this be? But Christina was taking this pretty well.

"Sweet, I knew I wasn't normal." So did everyone at school. "So, who's my godly parent?" She asked eagerly.

"We aren't sure yet. You should be claimed within the next few days." Chiron explained. He was now in centaur form and I marvelled at his well groomed backside- I mean form. "In the mean time, you two will be staying in the Hermes cabin." God of thieves if I was correct; we had better be careful with whatever possessions we had on us.

Later on after dinner, we huddled around the camp fire. We sang songs and generally had a good time. We were meeting new people, and tomorrow would be our first day of training. I was excited but scared. Then suddenly something strange happened. Lightning appeared above us. It came striking down next to the fire and a necklace appeared on the ground in front of Christina. It hovered in the sky a little, and then landed around her neck. Everyone gasped in unison. The necklace had a little lightning bolt hanging on it. Apart from the fact that she had just been sent a necklace via lightning, all I could think was: **_pretty!_**

"A child of Zeus; just what we need." Mr D. groaned. I know a child of Zeus that we could all do without too. Can you guess who it is?

So it turned out that Christiana was the only child of Zeus at Camp Half-Blood. The only other one that was known was Thalia, a hunter of Artemis. I felt alone in the Hermes cabin without Christina. The cabin had gotten roomier after the Great War when the gods had promised to claim all their children, so I had my own bed. I went into a deep sleep. I was in a beach in California, my happy place. I had once visited this place to see my uncle and cousins. The difference was that I was the only person on the beach this time. It was sunny and peaceful. The waves were calm and serene. The smell of the salty sea was refreshing and the sand between my toes was soft. Then a figure appeared. He was blonde with golden eyes and appeared to be in his early twenties.

"Stephanie, I have waited a long time to see you." How did this stranger know me and who was he? He seemed to read the confusion in my eyes.

"I am your father." His voice sounded unusually smooth and silky. "I am sorry I have not been able to contact you earlier. It's kind of difficult when you are imprisoned. I just had enough power left to warn you in your dreams." He came closer and I noticed he had a scar on his face. It was pale and came from the bottom of his eye to his chin.

"What did you want to say? Who are you?" I asked, panicked.

"I am the Father of Time, and of the Olympians." That's when it struck me like one of Zeus' bolts.

"You're Kronos" I gasped. He nodded. "You're not my father." I shook my head.

"Oh, but I am."

"You have my grey eyes, my swordsman skills, even my power to control time. I have come to warn you. Do not be a pawn of the gods. Don't let them deceive you and do not give away your identity unless you wish the gods to smote you. Do not even tell that friend of yours. She is a daughter of Zeus, therefore you natural enemy." I couldn't believe my ears.

"Who do you think you are, telling me who I should be friends with? How dare you! You haven't been around for fifteen years of my life and now you show up and expect me to obey you."

"Yes, I do." He said firmly. "I am currently rotting in a bottomless pit in Tartarus and I need you, okay. Join me and you can be Princess over all on this miserable Earth. I can give you immortality and the powers of a full Titan." I have to admit, the offer sounded pretty cool but I knew I didn't have what it took to earn it. Besides, I couldn't be a part of something like that. Kronos was _evil_. I couldn't help him enslave the entire population of Earth and destroy the gods.

"No. I can't"

"You clearly need more time to think about it. I brought you a gift though." He brought out something as if from thin air. It was a chocker necklace with skull and crossbones.

"Since when was I a Goth?" I questioned. He rolled his eyes and turned it into a regular necklace with a heart encrusted in diamonds.

"Happy?" I made a face to show that I was still a bit uncomfortable.

"There is just no pleasing some people." He sighed. "When you take the heart off, it turns into a sword. It is known as backbiter. It can kill a mortal and a monster with its celestial bronze and steel blade infused together. Alternatively you can turn it into my special scythe. Treat it well. I just had reformed- again." He put it around my neck as I protested. "I don't want to hear it. Trust me, you will need it. I have to be on my way now. I have a few demi-gods to haunt. I will be watching you, don't let me down." He stroked my face and then kissed my cheek. It sent a cold shiver down my spine. Then he disappeared and I woke up in a cold sweat. To my amazement, the necklace was still around my neck.

**Author's Note: Yes, I realise that because this is set after **_**The Last Olympian**_** Luke is, well you know what. I don't want to spoil anything. Remember, it's just a dream. Anything is possible. Let me know if you have any suggestions. What character do you want to appear?**


	3. Greetings from my cousins

Greetings from my cousins

I woke up early before everyone else, including the Apollo cabin. I had a bit of a restless sleep. Knowing that you father is _pure evil _does that to you. I raced to the training dummies to test out my new gift. I took off the heart as I was instructed and it stretched out into sword. It was longer than I had anticipated but it weighed just right. One side was celestial bronze whilst the other was steel. It looked absolutely mesmerising. It seemed to have a sort of negative energy radiating around it but I fell in love with the weapon immediately. The two sides of the blades seemed to be at battle though. They were like magnets trying to repel away from each other.

I hacked at some dummies, unsure about how I was going to get around them. I had no experience in sword fighting. All I knew was that it was a really good way to get out my anger. Yet I was aware that this sword had yet another weapon within it. As I pictured the scythe, the sword morphed into the ancient weapon often associated with _'The Grim Reaper'. _It grew almost as tall as me and the metal tip shone in the rising sun. Yet I was afraid of its power. I knew that this weapon had claimed many souls. I instantly dropped it and it turned back into my necklace. I picked it up and threw it as far as I possibly could. A few seconds later, it was back on my neck. I think it was taking the 'boomerang effect' to a whole new level. .

I grunted in annoyance.

"Well, if it isn't Saturn's spawn." A voice called out. I turned around to find three figures standing side by side. The two on the left and right were male whilst the one in the middle was female. They were all in their teens but they seemed to radiate power.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Your cousins" The one on the left answered. He had short raven hair and blue knowledgeable eyes. The other boy had long brown hair and hard grey eyes. He was surprisingly muscular, almost to the extent you would think he was on steroids. The girl had long blonde hair in a French braid and honey coloured eyes. "I'm Sam, that's Andy and Hannah. We're all demi-titans."

I just stood there blinking for a while before finally responding.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one. That's a bit of a relief."

"Well, you're the only _crooked_ kid." Hannah replied

"Crooked?" I questioned

"Yeah; you can't just go around using god's or titan's names you know. 'Crooked one' is like a code word for you know who."

"Right, so what are you guys doing here?"

"We are here to get you to safety." Sam answered.

"Safety? This is safety."

"Yeah, if you're a demi-god. Otherwise it's one of the _most _unsafe places you can imagine." He explained.

"Come with us. You can train with the rest of us demi-titans. Stay here and you might get found out." Andy warned.

"Look, I can see you're trying to help but I like it here thanks. I'm on the side of the Olympians."

"You might say that now you demi-god wannabe, but if they find out your real identity you're a goner." Hannah yelled.

"Calm down, you might wake them up!" Andy warned.

"Whatever"

"I understand that you're happy pretending to be an unclaimed demi-god but soon this little fantasy of yours will crash and burn. When you come to your senses, we'll be here for you." They stepped back, holding hands and in a flash of light, they were gone.

**Author's Note: In case you didn't know, Saturn is the Roman name for Kronos. For those of you who DID know, well done on your mythology! I bet you can't guess who the demi-titan's parents are. I would tell you, but it would ruin the suspense. **


	4. I tick off our 'friend' downstairs

I Tick off our 'friend' downstairs

Soon it was time for breakfast. After venting out to the dummies and that conversation with my cousins, I was ravenous. I took my place with the Hermes' cabin.

"Good morning" I greeted them. Most of them greeted me back.

"Hey, is that necklace new?" Conner asked me. Darn, someone had noticed.

"Um no, I've had it for ages. My mum gave it to me." I replied.

"Why weren't you wearing it yesterday?" Travis backfired.

"It's none of your business." I said coolly. "It's a good thing too. I wouldn't still have it otherwise." The twins both revealed a cynical smile. "You two freak me out sometimes."

"It's a gift" They said in unison.

Soon it was time for training. The Hermes cabin got sword fighting. I was glad that someone had decided to place some new dummies after my temper tantrum. Our instructor was none other than Percy Jackson, hero of well...the world. Though I had been told the true hero was Luke. We all picked out a sword. I was about to remove my heart necklace when I heard a voice from within me.

"_Do not let them know of Backbiter" _It warned. The voice was hoarse like the person was dehydrated and completely unlike the one in my dream. Yet I knew it was the voice of Kronos. I was afraid I was hallucinating to begin with.

"_No, you are not imagining me." _But how can this be? How could Kronus be speaking directly to me like this?

"_I live within you"_ He explained. What? I thought he said he was rotting in Tartarus. I was busy asking a whole list of questions when someone interrupted me.

"Hello, are done picking a sword?" I turned around to see Percy.

"_Oh look, it's the little hero." _Kronus groaned.

"Shut it" I ordered in my head. To Percy I said: "Yeah". Grabbing a sword, I stood in line with everyone else. Percy taught us some swings and footwork. We paired up and I as I was new, everyone already had pairs. So I had to fight Percy.

"Calm down, I'll go easy on you." He said. Deep inside me I felt a low deep grumble. Seriously, this had to be against some law. It wouldn't be long until I was going to be in rebellion against my dad.

Percy and I started battling calmly, if that's even possible. Soon he realised just how good I was and started pushing me to fight harder. On top of that Kronus was yelling curses in my mind. Thankfully I was the only who could hear him.

"_Die, Half-Blood!" _He was even cursing in an older language than Greek that I could strangely understand. He swung at me and I parried. I was on the defensive now. I was getting worn out and I was stumbling. Soon everyone was watching. I could feel their gazes on me.

"_I can't bear to watch this anymore."_

"_Then don't" I replied. _Soon after, I could feel a tugging at my stomach. _"What's going on?"_

"_Just calm down" _Isn't it amazing that the more you are told to calm down, the more you get agitated. Then something strange happened. I felt a cold shiver everywhere in my body.

Then my posture changed into a battle stance. With my sword held high, I charged at Percy. I was in offensive mode now. What was happening; how had I gotten so good?

"_I've allowed you to tap into my memory. You know all my battle moves now. We will fight as one." _I struck at Percy several times. To start off, he matched my swings with parries. Then he grew less confident. I took this moment to disarm him. As soon as he dropped his weapon, everyone gasped. Even Percy was gobsmacked.

"WOW!" was his articulate response to his defeat. "How did you...?"

I shrugged. "Perhaps it was beginner's luck?"

"Not possible. That was a pretty long fight." He approached me and stretched out his hand. "That was really good. Well done. Who knows, maybe you're an Ares girl." If only he knew how wrong he was.

Lunch came and I still wasn't claimed. Everyone found this odd seeing as how I had beaten up Percy.

"If Ares was your dad, then he would have definitely claimed you by now." Travis said

"Yeah, he still holds a bit of a grudge on Percy after he beat him up." Conner explained

"Seriously?" I asked. They both nodded. Wow. I could believe that Percy had saved the world but I couldn't believe that he had beaten up the god of war. "Cool."

From the corner of my eye I could see a boy staring at me. What shocked me was that he didn't even try to do it discreetly. And when I turned around to see who it was, he didn't even turn away. He had shaggy black hair and olive skin with wild dark brown eyes. He was wearing all black with a skull on his top. He looked around my age, sixteen.

"Who's the guy with the skull top?" I asked the twins.

"That would be Nico di Angelo, son of Hades" Connor answered.

Normally you would think he was a loner, as he was the only one at his table. However he looked perfectly comfortable that way.

Soon after, we had archery. The Hermes Cabin was joined the Hades, Poseidon and Zeus cabins as there was only one person in each. I was a bit nervous because after my earlier performance I had a feeling that people expected a lot from me.

"_Please tell me you know how to do this."_ I asked Kronus.

"_Sorry, you're on your own. This sport is for weaklings and wimps. If you want to fight right, then do it with a decent weapon or with you bare hands. I prefer a scythe though." _Great; the one time I ask my dad to help me and he flakes out on me.

"_Thanks for nothing." _I grumbled

"_Any time" _

I put on that weird guard for my hand and found a bow my size. We teamed up in groups. Being the only undetermined camper, I was grouped with the children of The Big Three. We stood in a line waiting for our turn.

"Good luck" Percy said when it came to my turn. I had one-on-one training with Chiron and he taught me how to stand (side on), where to place my fingers, the basic essentials. I'd like to say it went well but that would be a lie. I was really close to hitting Travis in the head. I missed by about a centimetre.

"I told you not to fetch arrows until I told you to!" Chiron yelled. Travis was too shocked to reply. It served him right I suppose.

After a little while, my targeting improved. But naturally something terrible happened. The earth began to tremble. A crack appeared not too far from our target practise. I could tell the Demeter cabin weren't going to be happy about that. Soon the crack grew into a hole and a creature rose. It looked like a man seized bat with sharp talons. Its shriek pierced my ears.

"Where is she?" It demanded. It seemed to scan its eyes across our group. Then it locked its eyes in my direction.

"_Di immortales_" I heard Percy gasp.

"Fury!" The Stoll brothers yelled. It swooped down to attack me. I managed to get over my immediate shock long enough to roll to my side. Chiron was already aiming at the Fury with his bow and arrow.

"Alecto, what are you doing?" Nico asked.

"My master has ordered me to kill the wretched demi-titan." The creature responded.

"I thought Hades just wanted you to capture her." Wait, he _knew_? People around me started muttering about me.

"She's a daughter of a Titan?" They gasped. It was as if I had the plague or something because the majority of them stepped away from me.

"Who allowed you in here?" Chiron questioned. The camp was meant to be protected with a magical barrier. Monsters were only allowed in with permission.

"Nico off course" She answered. I looked straight at him. His face was filled with shame and guilt.

"I didn't know..." He began.

"You can save the apologies for later." Percy said. "Right now we have to send her back to Hades." Nico nodded in response. They both brought out their swords.

"_You aren't seriously going to let _them _take the glory for destroying the Fury are you?" _Kronus asked. _"Stand and fight!"_ I really wasn't feeling up for it. Inside I was petrified. But when you are faced with a life or death scenario; the choice is fight and die trying, or just die. I could also feel my father's influence. My stomach groaned and I felt a sharp jab at the back of my head.

"_Do not fight my power. Embrace it. Show them our might!" _I grabbed for my necklace and held my scythe- I mean my father's scythe- with pride. I heard a few more gasps from some other campers that had gathered to watch the fight. So a Fury was here bent on destroying me and all they could do was _watch_? Real helpful.

I stomped my foot and I felt a surge of power explode out of me. People seemed to slow down around me. Even the Fury was no match for the power of The Time Lord. I however, was unaffected. When she was low enough I charged her and jumped into the air. I sliced and diced her and then managed to slow myself down so I didn't get hurt landing. I snapped my fingers and everything went back to real time. Everyone was astounded to see that Alecto was gone. All that was left was a pile of dust where she had been hovering above earlier.

"Who are you?" Nico asked. With the scythe held in both my hands I thought it was a bit obvious.

"I am Stephanie Terri Martin, daughter of Kronus." Their faces were struck with horror. I thought it was because of what I had just admitted. But after turning around and seeing huge figure towering over us, I realised it was because Hades was _pissed. _

**Authors note: Thanks for the reviews so far. I would have updated sooner but I had to get my hair done. I might be going to my mother land this week too. Zimbabwe here I come- hopefully. Please review. I want praise and critique please. I hope I didn't make any grammer errors. **


	5. Decision, decision

Decision, decision

**Author's Note: So, what would you do if you were in Stephanie's shoes? Well, you're about to find out what she would do. Plus you are about to find out the parentage of Sam, Hannah and Andy. **

_Okay, _I thought to myself. _Let's evaluate. I have a huge god brooding over me intent on painfully killing me before sending me to The Underworld. Then I would most likely endure some sort of cruel punishment for the rest of eternity. No big deal. _But off course it was a big deal, a very big deal. Even the power of all the campers combined couldn't save me. Only another god would be able to stop Hades and I'm pretty sure Mr D. was enjoying himself. I could imagine him nearby with a box of popcorn. I wanted to bolt away from camp faster than Hermes with his winged shoes.

"_Stand your ground" _Kronos ordered. _"If you die, you die with pride and dignity." _Easy for him to say; he had died before. At least he would be able to reform in a few centuries or so.

"My Lord, what have I done to anger you?" I asked. I tried not to show the fear in my voice. It would only amuse him.

"You know my reason. You are the daughter of Kronos and as such you must be treated accordingly. The punishment is death!" His voice echoed like we were in some sort of cave.

"Father..." Nico spoke up

"What?"

"She has done no wrong."

"She lives, that is reason enough."

"I can't let you do it."

"Nor can I" Percy agreed. I waited to hear what Christina had to say. To my amazement her face was deathly white. She stood still and her face was horror stricken as if she was the one to be executed.

"I've been longing to kill you for a long time, Perseus Jackson. At last I have a reason." Hades' lips curled into a cynical smile. "As for you my son, stand aside. I have my hands full with Bianca as it is in the Underworld. I don't need you around too." Nico seemed to be less confident but he still stood with his sword raised, prepared for anything.

"Fine, if it's a fight you want then it's a fight you shall get." Hades shrunk down to human size. You would think he would be less intimidating but sadly, he wasn't. He radiated an aura of death and darkness. He didn't even need to wear armour. He wore a black robe over his casual clothes. He had a smug look on his face and he was ready to kill. He unsheathed his sword and stepped closer to me. Agitated, I swung my scythe around me in preparation for the strike. But it never came.

Instead time slowed down again. Nearby, I saw a flash of light. Three figures stood side by side, weapons drawn. It was my cousins- Sam, Adam and Hannah. Thank the g- I mean Titans. They ran up to me.

"We need to get you out of here, _now._" You don't say. They put away their weapons and held hands, forcing me to do the same.

"What about my friends?" I asked.

"What friends?" Sam demanded. All they did was stand there. They weren't going to save you." I thought of Christina. She was meant to be my best friend but all she did was stand there, paralysed.

"Percy and Nico-"

"...Are demi-gods that will never understand you."

"They were brave to attempt to take on Hades" Hannah admitted. "But once the Olympians decide what to do with you, they won't be able to fight all _twelve_- thirteen if you count corpse breath- of them." I wanted to cry. Truly and honestly, I did. But I allowed them to teleport me away. I wasn't wanted here, that much was clear.

I arrived in a field area similar to the one I had just left, minus the deadly god that wanted to kill me and the target practise. No one else was in sight so I let free a waterfall of tears.

"You're kidding me, right?" This very sensitive question came from Andy.

"Leave her alone" Sam defended. "She's been through a lot."

"_Stephanie, please calm down. It is not dignified to reveal ones emotions in this way. If you want to feel better, blow something up. It really works." _Kronos still had a lot to learn about teenage girls. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and took a few deep breathes.

"So where are we?" I asked

"Camp Titan" Sam answered. Wow, how original.

"Where is everyone?"

"Dinner" But it had been just passed lunch when we had left Camp Half-Blood.

"How is that possible?"

"I can teleport us to anywhere within a far distant range but it is difficult to determine how long it may take." Hannah explained.

"So who are your parents anyway?"

"My father is Hyperion. Sam's dad is Prometheus and Adam's dad is Atlas, as if it isn't obvious."

We arrived in the mess hall and everything quietened and all movement ceased. Then if that wasn't shocking enough, everyone knelt down before me.

"All hail Kronos" An older man said. Everyone else followed suit. I got that churning feeling in my stomach again. Kronos was trying to take control. This time my throat burned.

"Rise" I ordered. Except, it wasn't my voice. My voice seemed to be fused with another; a deeper, more ancient voice. The voice of Kronos.

Great, he had accessed my voice box. Everyone stood up and paid close attention to whatever it is Kronos was about to say. They already seem to pay more attention to him than I do. He made me walk over to a table where a man and lady stood. There was also an empousai. The man wore a smart suit and he had scares across his face. His hair was jet black and tied back in a pony tail.

"I trust that in my absence you have trained the demi-titans well Prometheus."

"I have done my best. My job was made easier as camp director thanks to the older demi-gods here."

"Good. That is all." Then I felt another shift in my stomach and I had control over my body again. Everyone went straight back to eating their food.

"Please, sit" Prometheus offered. I sat down next to the woman.

"I am Hecate. I am the healer at the camp.

"I'm Stephanie Terri Martin."

"I imagine it must be a big shock that you're a demi-titan" Prometheus said

"Especially the only one sired by the Titan Lord himself." Hecate added.

"Please, eat." Prometheus offered. A plate of food immediately appeared. "If you don't like it then just imagine something else."

"Thanks. Yeah it is something to get used to; especially when my father is hiding in my body."

"Yeah well, just think of it as an honour." Prometheus suggested. This was mean to be an honour? He had to be kidding me. "Ten years from now when the Olympians are no more you will still be praised for what you did."

"It's actually quite remarkable that you're still alive." Hecate said. "You must have a strong spirit."

"Wait, I could have died?"

"Well everything has its risks. But don't worry. You were dipped in the river Styx shortly after your birth."

"You mean the one Achilles was dipped in?"

"The very one" Prometheus nodded.

"Couldn't that have killed me?"

"Your father knew what he was doing. He was there with you."

"Look, I'm grateful that Sam, Andy and Hannah were there to save me and everything. Only Apollo knows how Hades would have punished me for the rest of eternity. But I don't think I could join the side of the Titans either." I could see the empousai glaring at me. She snarled at me whilst Prometheus tried to calm her down.

"You don't wish to join us?" Hecate asked.

"I don't know. I don't really like the gods right now but I fear for what will become of the earth if the Titans take over again."

"Well for a start, demi-titans will not be harshly treated." Prometheus informed me. My possible life sounded better already. But still, no gods?

"What of the mortals?" I asked.

"They shall live. But they will serve us."

"By 'us' you mean..."

"Titans, demi-titans and any god that decides to side with us."

"But why would other gods decide to side with the Titans?" I asked looking at Hecate.

"The gods will not grant me extra power. Yes, I am the goddess of magic but when the Titans take over I shall also be the goddess of love, beauty and...Well, it's still a work in progress."

"I thought that was Aphrodite's area of expertise."

Hecate merely shrugged.

"When the Olympians fade or are thrown into Tartarus, new gods must be appointed to take their place."

"And you can have any title you wish." Kronos promised. "You can be the Titaness of beauty, war, music-anything at all."

"You could turn me into a full Titan?"

"But off course." He purred. "All you need to do is pledge your allegiance to me, denounce the gods and get me a new body."

To be a Titaness... I began fantasising of my power.

"But what of my friends?"

"What, that pathetic daughter of Zeus who cowered before Hades?"

"Yes, that friend"

"Who needs her?" But Kim had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. But Kronos was my dad. He needed me.

"Alright, whose body did you have in mind?" I asked out loud. The others on the table seemed to wonder what I was talking about.

"Perseus Jackson" Kronos said, using my voice once more

My body shivered at the thought. Percy Jackson, who had stood there prepared to go down fighting Hades just to save me. I couldn't do that to him.

"No...I couldn't."

**Author's Note: Ooh, what will Stephanie choose? Well, you're going to have to wait a while to find out. I'm going to Zimbabwe the day after tomorrow for about two weeks. Let me know what you think though so I can see. Should she do the 'right' thing and run away? Or would you prefer an anti-hero; the kind of main character who is in fact the bad guy?**


	6. Seeds of Deceit

Seeds of Deceit 

**Author's Note: Well, I'm finally back from Zimbabwe. I had a great time but I was always tempted to continue writing stories, not even just this one. It got to the extent that one of my cousin's friend had to steal and hide my notebook for the rest of the night as I was technically at my own leaver's party. Well, I'm not really into dancing anyway. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

I was still petrified from the request of my father.

"I can't. Ask me anyone else other than Percy." I tried to reason.

"Read your lips." At least he was acknowledging that they belonged to me. "I want PERSEUS JACSON!" He raged.

"Calm down. Seriously, you're making me look like a bigger freak than I already am. Trust me; I don't need your help to look weird."

"Fine- I don't care how you get him but I want his body. And remember, he has to be alive." Seriously, I must have looked very strange, like I had a split personality. And who was he to be ordering me for things? Just as I was complaining to Kronos, I could see a figure limping in the distance. The figure came closer and closer.

"Help!" The person yelled. I ran as fast as I could. He was a boy around my age. He looked battered and bruised, ready to pass out at any given moment.

"Well don't just sit there, somebody come help!" I shouted. Andy and another Atlas guy were by my side in a heartbeat. "Where's the infirmary?" I asked.

"Not too far. We can take him there." I followed them along with Hecate and Prometheus. Everyone else was muttering about how they hoped he survived and what kind of a monster could have left such claw marks on his chest. We laid him on a bed and Hecate gave him some nectar and ambrosia. She then mixed some sort of remedy and made him drink it. He nearly coughed it back up but she forced it down. Instantly, some scars began to heal.

"Don't just stand there Kronos, help me out. You can speed his recovery." Hecate ordered. Kronos clearly didn't seem to be happy about being given orders but he willed me to move forward. I laid a hand on the guy's head and felt some sort of energy release from my body. His cuts and bruises quickly faded and once pasty skin began to darken to its usual colour. Then I took off my hand.

"Who are you boy?" Kronos' voice thundered. The boy looked at me in fear. In the light I could see he had long dark hair in dreadlocks. His eyes were a deep brown and his skin was dark too.

"My name is Zack. I am the son of Iapetus."

"Well you certainly smell like him" Was Kronos' polite reply. Then I was given back control.

"_Iapetus is a traitor. Do not trust this boy."_

I was dreaming again. I'm not sure how I'd managed to get even a wink of sleep though. I was on the beach again, with my father.

"Make your decision" he urged.

"I can't..."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

What could I say? He could read my mind after all. There was no denying it. But how could I not have feelings for him? He had saved me not only from the evil snow-men, but he was willing to risk his life to save me from HADES! That meant a lot to me. Yes, I knew he was already going out with some girl named Annabeth. Unfortunately, my heart has its own ideas.

"Why do you particularly want _his _body?" I countered.

"Revenge off course. Besides, he's a child of the Big Three, he saved Olympus and I want him to suffer as he watches me slowly killing the love of his life with his own bare hands!" Woah, someone had issues. I really do strongly recommend therapy...for the next thousand years.

"I'm losing my patience child, decide!" He scowled. I wanted to say no, really I did. But I was scared. He's my father, after all. I mean sure, Zeus can go against Kronos- he's a god. What am I? A demi-titan, that's what. An outcast- shunned by the gods and probably feared by half-bloods. Besides, Kronos was all I had. Why should I turn away from him? The gods have what's coming to them. Even with these excuses in my head, a part of me felt it was the wrong choice. With my fists clenched, I made my decision.

"I'll do it; I'll help you get Percy Jackson's body."

He curled a smile that seemed almost unnatural on him yet I could tell his former host had once attracted many girls.

"That's my girl"

He came forward and did something unexpected. He hugged me. Sure, it was just a dream. It wasn't technically I suppose but it felt real enough. He was hugging me. My _dad_ was hugging me! I wanted to cry. Maybe I was making the right choice. Damn the gods! What have they done for me? Then he let go and pushed my hair behind my ear. I was still overwhelmed with emotion about what had just happened but I managed a smile. Then as if he had just realised what he'd done, he stepped back looking a bit embarrassed.

"We will set a trap for the Jackson boy." He instructed.

"His body will be prepared suitably and then you will make your pledge of allegiance to me. We shall also need Nico di Angelo or perhaps that Iapetus child to release the rest of my soul from Tartarus."

"Yes Father"

Then in the coldest expression he could manage with his ex-host's face and a stern voice he added:

"Do not fail me...or the consequences will be sever."

"I understand" My mouth was so dry. I knew exactly what would happen to me if I failed. I would spend the rest of eternity in Tartarus. No pressure then.

Using Annabeth, Sally or any other of Percy's loved ones was too obvious. It had been done too many times, according to Kronus. Percy now knew loyalty was his fatal flaw. He would be much more careful now. Instead, I was instructed to 'hand myself in'. Infiltrating Camp Half-Blood from the inside would be tricky though. There was a high risk that I would be obliterated on the spot. But if I succeeded to win their empathy, I could have Percy captured soon enough. Faze one, write a letter:

_**To Percy,**_

_**I don't want to be an enemy of the gods. You don't know what it's like to live in the shadow of someone like Kronos. Just because he's my father doesn't mean I'm like him. Please talk to the gods. Ask them to give me a chance. Let me prove my innocence! I know where all the other demi-titans are hiding. I also think that Zeus wants to re-punish Prometheus for his treachery. Just give me a chance.**_

_**Yours Sincerely,**_

_**Stephanie **_

Hannah sent my mail as a light ray after breakfast. Demi-titans can't use Iris messages as they can be traced by the goddess. So the Hyperion kids were in charge of using their powers over light to get a message or letter across to its destination. Luckily light travels quickly so it wasn't long until I had a response via Iris message. I had anticipated this, so I had gotten as far from camp as possible.

It was Percy, Annabeth and Nico. They were in Percy's cabin. I could hear the water from a fountain trickling. They were all sitting on a couch and I couldn't help notice that Nico had a black eye, yet he smiled when he saw me.

"Hey" I greeted them

"Hey" The boys replied. Annabeth just nodded. I hadn't met her before, strangely. During my short stay at Camp Half-Blood, there had been no time. She had long curly blonde hair like the Aphrodite camp had got their hands on it and her grey eyes looked really serious.

"We got your letter." Percy said "Mail via light ray, that's a new one."

I just shrugged in response.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Let's just cut to the case. You're a child of The Time Lord. That's seriously bad news. I'm surprised Hades let Nico off easily with a black eye." I saw the cabin shake.

"There's no need to remind him!" Nico yelled.

"Sorry" I really felt bad for him.

"I'm sorry too" I said.

"Don't worry, it's okay. He may be my father, but I don't have to agree with everything he says. I make my own decisions." Nico replied.

Wow, cutting real deep. It's like he knew what I was going through.

"_This isn't the time for a shocking new revelation. We have a plan to stick to" _Kronos reminded me.

"Right"

"You're an enemy of Olympus" Annabeth continues "Don't think that by turning yourself in, you will be pardoned."

"But she hasn't committed a crime" Percy countered.

"She lives, that is crime enough to the gods Percy. Remember when children of The Big Three were not allowed to exist? Monsters came after you guys more than any other half-blood. That is that it's like for her." I was getting fed up of being told I shouldn't exist.

"Look guys, I understand your point. If you can't help me then that's fine, but my only other choice is to pledge allegiance to me father. That means denouncing the gods and you guys will be my enemies. I think you all know I'm better off as a friend that a foe."

"She's right" Nico answered. "You saw the way she beat you Percy. With that scythe and her father's power over time, she would be used as a deadly weapon."

"How do we know that she isn't lying?" Annabeth asked. "If this is a trap then we would be waling right into it." Trust an Athena child to see tight through me.

"We don't; we just have to trust her and have backup to help" Percy replied.

"If this is just an evil plot Stephanie, I'll never forgive you." Annabeth warned. "We have been through a lot; we have seen many half-bloods perish at the hands of your father. Don't make yourself the first demi-titan."

I nodded in understanding.

"Meet us outside Camp Half-Blood at five this afternoon."

A smile appeared on Nico's face.

"Thanks a lot you guys." I replied. Then the Iris message fizzled out.

"_Stage one of the plans complete"_ Kronos said _"But you are in no means on their good side just yet. That Nico boy seems to be taking a liking to you."_

I blushed. "Do you actually think this will work?"

"Sure it will. Just do as I say and everything will go smoothly." That's what I was afraid of.

I packed my packed bare essentials and said goodbye to my fellow demi-titan campers. Going back to Camp Half-Blood was strange. Before I was a welcome guest in need of safety; now I am seen as a traitor to my own kind and a danger to all humanity. Percy, Annabeth and Nico were there as they had promised. Besides them was Chiron in full centaur mode. What struck me the most were the three other male figures who were waiting further behind.

"I trust that you are unarmed." Chiron said. I wanted to lie but I knew it was pointless.

"_Hand over the scythe" _Kronos insisted. I took my necklace and it turned into my trusted scythe. But something felt different about it, it wasn't backbiter. They stood back in fear but the three men came forward. It soon became clear that they were more than just men.

"So this is our half-sister" The one in the middle said. He was a grown man with black beard, green eyes, a 'subtle' blue and pink beach shirt, shorts and sandals. He was Poseidon

"I hope you don't mind if I take that." Zeus ordered. He radiated power and authority. His striking blue eyes dared me to challenge him. I gave over me scythe and it turned back to its necklace form.

"Lord Zeus, Poseidon and Hades- I wasn't expecting to see you."

"I wasn't expecting to see you alive" Hades scoffed.

"Peace brother; she had done the right thing for returning." Poseidon defended. "She could have turned to Kronos' army."

"It's more than clear that she did."

"Well, she's back now."

"Perfect, now I can put an end to her!"

"Silence!" Zeus thundered.

His brother glowered at each other for a while but did not utter another word.

"Give us a reason why we should let you live." He ordered. I really hate being put 'on the spot'; however I had no choice but to answer.

"A spark like that could start another war. The other demi-titans live in constant fear."

"As they rightly should" Hades remarked.

"They think the gods will strike them down for simply being alive. We shouldn't be judged by out parentage, but as individuals. Make peace with us. Is that so hard? Maybe then we won't feel that Kronos is all we have."

Zeus rubbed his chin in though.

"You have a valid point; perhaps you are right."

Hades looked gobsmacked.

"There will be a meeting of the gods. Everyone must attend, apart from Hecate off course. That woman asks for too much." He muttered. "We shall make our decision. For now you are hereby forbidden to leave camp or talk to the outside world."

"Lord Zeus, what cabin shall she stay in?" Chiron asked. He seemed to think this over a while before deciding.

"You shall stay in my cabin. I believe you have a friend there." This was so not what I needed.

"Calm_ down, you passed the test. That's all that matters. Just ignore Christina then." _He clearly didn't know what it was like to have friends. I wanted to make my father proud of me but how far was I willing to go? Did Percy Jackson really deserve such a horrible fate?

**Author's Note: PLEASE REVIEW! I'm starting to wonder if anyone is even reading this story and if I'm wasting my time :(**


	7. Bull's Eye

**Author's Note: I'm pleased to know that people do like my story, even if I'm not getting many reviews. I have decided to continue writing and I hope that I don't lose faith in my skills again. I hope you enjoy this chapter =D**

Bull's-eye

"Stephanie? You're alive!" Christina screamed. I had just entered my new temporary cabin. She was already hugging me tight and I didn't stop her. I didn't stop her, but I didn't hug her back. "Happy dance!" She grabbed my hands, jumping up and down and started squealing. She soon realised how stiff I was and stopped. "Why aren't you happy dancing with me?" She asked.

"Because you stood there to watch me die" was my venomous reply. I shook her hands off me and stormed away to the tidy bed I presumed was mine.

Naturally, she followed me.

"I'm really sorry for what I did. I've been regretting it ever since."

"Yeah, you should."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" We can ask Chiron if we can go shopping."

"For a start, I'm not allowed outside camp. Besides, I'm not interested."

"Okay then. I'll just leave you alone." She left the cabin and I was all alone.

_Forget about her. Friends tie you down anyway." _Well, almost alone.

Dinner was unsettling. As soon as I walked in, everybody froze. A lot of them, especially the Ares table, were giving me evil looks. It only lasted a few seconds until everybody resumed eating, but it was really uncomfortable. I sat as far from Christina as possible when I reached the Zeus table. Soon after, I was joined by another girl. She had auburn hair tied in a high pony tail and eyes that glowed like a cat.

"I am Artemis." She introduced herself. "I was asked by my father to see that you didn't get up to any mischief. Apollo will be taking over tomorrow morning." I was to be _watched? _Just what I needed.

Soon after, Mr D made an announcement.

"We shall be having our weekly game of Capture the Flag tomorrow. Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Apollo and Demeter versus Hades, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena and best of all, my cabin! Minor half-bloods can go wherever you please. I'll give kudos to the Morpheus cabin if you can defeat someone without making them fall asleep.

"In light of recent events, Poseidon shall lead against Hades. I'm sure I don't need to remind you little brats about the rules but if I had it my way I would allow anyone to kill that Titan spawn." He looked at me distastefully so I glared at him darkly.

"That will be quite enough Dionysus." Artemis said on my behalf.

The next day, everyone was making up plans on the way to breakfast.

"You and I will make a great offence" Percy said to me.

"Isn't that what they would expect?" I countered.

"_No, it's a good idea. The closer you are to Jackson, the better."_ Kronos explained.

"You think?" Percy asked.

"Well I suppose if that's what we know they will expect, they will think we wouldn't do it."

"Huh? You're more confusing than Annabeth."

"It's just reverse psychology." I said.

"Okay, whatever you say." Percy really looked cute when he was confused.

Soon we had to split up to our 'respective' tables. Again, I sat as far from Christina as possible. We were joined by another teenager who looked about sixteen or seventeen shortly after. He was tall with perfect sun kissed skin and shiny blonde hair. He took off his _Rayban _sunglasses to reveal sparkly blue eyes. He was none other than the sun god, Apollo.

"Good morning ladies" He greeted. Christina's jaw dropped and closed just as suddenly.

"Hi..." She managed to choke out. She looked like an absolute moron, drooling over him like that. He was sitting right next to me so I looked him the eyes and gave him a forced smile.

"Hey"

"So you're the girl who has been sparking arguments on Olympus."

"Yeah, I suppose" But I'm pretty sure he'd meant it as a statement, not a question.

"Just so you know Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite and Hermes are on your side. Hades, Athena and Hephaestus defiantly want you dead. Ares is still unsure as he predicts a war will occur if we let you live but at the same time he wants the pleasure of killing you himself." He smiled widely as if that was amusing.

"Wow, thanks for the update. What about the Queen, you and your sister?"

"Well, we still aren't sure, but I fear for you that my sister may choose 'the safer option', as Athena put it."

"I guess I can't blame her."

"As long as you play your cards right, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." It was a bit too late for that. Soon Apollo would hate me too.

After breakfast we had archery practised- much to my chagrin. I was afraid another angry god would show up to kill me again. Luckily nothing happened. I just happened to narrowly miss impaling Clarisse's head.

"She did that on purpose!" She yelled. Soon she was charging at me. I just managed to dodge a punch. Then I kicked her in the stomach with all the force I could muster. She did a double take, falling backwards. Her bloodthirsty eyes were full of surprise.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed. I tried to help her up but she pushed me away.

"I think you're done enough" Apollo said. "Why don't we train elsewhere?"

We found an unused area. With his godly powers, Apollo formed some target practise.

"Okay, let's see your stance." I positioned myself to face my target. "I think you're forgetting something."

"What?" I asked

"You need to stand side on to the target."

"Oh..." I did as I was told.

"Position your fingers" I did so "Now raise the bow" I did that too. "You need to outstretch your bow arm." He came closer and stretched my arm for me when I failed to do so to his satisfaction. "Now turn you head to the target and draw the bow to the side of you face." I did it a little too quickly and hit him with my elbow. "Ow, you have a sharp elbow." He complained.

"Sorry" After hitting him, I had accidently let go of the bow and the arrow flew away.

"Don't worry about that. Just use another arrow." After re-setting my stance I anchored the bow, aimed and let go.

The arrow hit the far end of the target.

"Now that wasn't too bad." Apollo comforted

"It still sucked." I moaned. I practised by myself a few times. Apollo and I took turns shooting but I just wasn't happy with my shots. Apollo re-positioned me and reminded me to relax a little. When he touched me, he sent shivers down my spine and caused me to heat up a bit.

"I bet I can help you get a bull's-eye" he said

"I bet you can't"

"If you do, then promise to go out with me." My heart skipped a beat

"Okay"

"Release" When I did, the impossible happened. I hit the bull's-eye. I screamed happily then stopped.

"Wait, did you use your godly powers to do that?" He looked at me as if he'd been offended.

"Off course I didn't."

"Swear on the River Styx."

"I swear on the River Styx." Wow. "So I guess you and I have a date.

"Well, maybe in the future. As for now, I'm not allowed to leave Camp."

"Oh, well since when have I let the rules stop me? I have my ways of making things happen." Just then, a car appeared nearby. It was a red sports car; I couldn't tell what the make was.

"It's _a Maserati Spyder_."

"Cool" I commented. We got in and soon we were far away. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see" When we arrived, I discovered we were at a theme park. How did he know I loved roller coasters? We walked to the most defying roller coaster at the theme park. The line was super long but Apollo managed to get us into a secret entrance to the front. "You didn't expect to wait for the next two hours, did you?" He asked. A smile crept on my face. The ride was thrilling. We both screamed at the top of our lungs and rose out arms in the air because we just don't care, yeah! I was absolutely dizzy and high when I came off.

"That was insane!" I yelled. Just as I collapsed, he caught me. I looked up to see his handsome face and it was enough to stop my giggles.

"Why don't we try something less exhilarating?"

We went for a slow ride. Actually that's a lie; he chose the ride and forced me to close my eyes until we were on. I soon realised it was one of those love rides with the dark tunnels for privacy so couples could make out. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable but I didn't care.

"I thought it would be a good place to just talk" He justified himself.

"Sure, so what did you want to talk about?"

"You, me... Us." I was thankful that he couldn't see me blush.

"I don't know Apollo."

"Come on, you deserve some love in your life. I don't see anybody else trying to make you feel happy." He was right. And I really was starting to like him.

"I can't Apollo. You and I wouldn't work."

"Why because of our parents?"

"Yes"

"To Tartarus with that! Don't you think we should be able to choose who to be with despite our parents?"

"Yeah...but we're also nothing alike. You're full of joy and happiness and I'm a gloomy weirdo."

"I love you just the way you are." That made my heart do a back flip. Then I felt his mouth cover mine. Soon, I was kissing him back! It felt so right. I even managed to forget everything. All my fears and worries were brushed aside. All that mattered was Apollo and I. Thankfully there were no comments from Kronos. Oh, my gods, Kronos! I quickly reeled back. "What's wrong?"

"No, no, no!" I complained.

"What is it? Does my breath stink?"

"No. It's not that. It's me. I'm no good." I heard him sigh.

"Oh, I was getting scared that it was something serious." It was my turn to sigh. "Look, Stephanie, you're not a bad person. Everyone has problems and people deal with them differently. I know you have a tough decision to make." He _knew?_ "I trust that you'll do the right thing." He continued.

"Thanks" I muttered. But soon we were back to kissing. I wished time would just slow down forever and I would never have to leave him.

"How was that?" He asked

"One word: Bull's-Eye"

When we arrived back at Camp Half-Blood, there was a very displeased Hades.

"Hey Uncle!" Apollo chirped.

"Don't 'Hey' me. How dare you go out with this enemy when you knew full well she was banned from leaving camp."

"It's no big deal. I was with her the entire time. My job was to make sure she didn't up to any trouble. I did my job, so calm down." Hades looked far from calm but he must have known he couldn't do anything to Apollo. He disappeared in a puff of smoke. How very original.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm Zeus' favourite son." I laughed at this. "I get the feeling you're scared about your future." He said.

"Just a tad bit"

"Let's go see the Oracle!" He exclaimed.

We went to a cave that seemed to have had an extreme make-over. It was really cool with a colourful interior and comfortable sofas and paintings everywhere. As we entered, we saw red-headed girl dancing and painting with her back turned to us.

"Hi Rachel, how's it going?"Apollo greeted. She ignored him. "Rachel!" She was still ignoring, dancing and painting. "RACHEL!" She stopped suddenly and removed something from her ears.

"Oh, Lord Apollo. Sorry about that. I didn't hear you. I'm used to your flashy entrances. You seriously just walked through the door this time?"

"You said if I didn't stop, I'd blind you."

"Oh yeah" She finally seemed to realise my presence. "So, what can I do for you two?"

"I've come to ask if you could give Stephanie a prophecy."

"Let's see what I can do." She took a seat on the sofa and we waited...and waited. Finally, something happened. He eyes began to glow green and she spoke.

"_A half-blood's soul shall be crushed by another _

_A war to arise unlike any other_

_Two foes by parentage must unite _

_Distracting love at first sight _

_One must look through the lies and see _

_And a traitor pays a colossal fee" _

A war, love and a traitor was going to _die? _Now I was definitely worried. Soon she was back to her normal self.

"Well, I hope that helped."

"Yeah, it did."

"Great" Apollo said. "But I hope you know that prophecies don't always happen the way you think they will." I was hoping on that.

**Author's Note: I hope you liked my chapter. Please review :D Is my prophecy convincing? Yeah, I know the first line gives a lot away but I didn't say who the half-blood was! I'm still wondering who it is referring to in the third line, but don't worry. I'll figure it out as I go along :P**


	8. I Capture Something More Valuable

I Capture Something More Valuable than a Flag

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long but school calls! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

I decided that before Capture the Flag began, I would want a weapon that I was comfortable with.

"Why don't you just use a sword?" Apollo asked. He seemed to be shadowing me everywhere I went.

"You love archery, you should understand. When I pick up a scythe, it becomes a part of me. The scythe and I are one. When I use a sword, it's just not the same."

"I saw you school Jackson that time. You're very good with a sword too." He complimented. He was following me to the workshop. I was going to see if any of the Hephaestus kids could make a decent scythe.

"Thanks and I knew but I was born to wield a scythe. It's in my blood." I mean that metaphorically as I was pretty sure I had no ichor in my veins.

When we entered the Smith shop, I realised how hot it was immediately. It was pretty dark too. The constant hammering and clanging was a bit annoying but no one else seemed to be bothered by this. A Hephaestus kid approached us. He was tall and muscular.

"Hey. You look kind of lost here. May I help you?"

"Urm..." I trailed off. I was a bit nervous.

"Yeah, Stephanie was wondering if anyone here knew how to forge a scythe." The chattering and hammering immediately ceased.

"We don't make weapons of that sort." He said.

"What do you mean by 'that sort'?" I asked, rather offended.

"Evil weapons" He said as if it wasn't obvious.

"Terry, I think you will find that _all_ weapons are used with the intentions of doing harm, therefore _all_ weapons are evil." Apollo stated.

"That may be so, my Lord; but I still can't make a scythe for her. It's not a conventional weapon for a half-blood, so we don't know how to make it.

"Terry, I hope you know that I'm god of truths."

"Yes I do know my Lord."

"Then you should know that I know that you're lying. I know you specialize in combat weaponry. Though you have never made one, you know how to make a scythe. So if you don't want to be turned into a lump of ashes, I suggest you get working." Apollo's eyes were fierce and I could see flames in them. I wasn't scared though. I was pleased to see another side to him. Gods Apollo was sexy. Terry immediately bolted away to start on my scythe.

"Thanks" I said

"Anything for my Angel" He gave me a light kiss on the mouth and I saw a few surprised looks around us. Apollo and I supervised Terry as he made the scythe. It was no _Backbiter _but it was pretty spectacular. I even got him to carve my name in Greek and Kronish, an ancient language used by the Titans. When I picked it up, something strange happened. It began to glow.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You're giving it life." Apollo answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Every magical weapon has an essence. It's not technically alive but it has its own power."

"I don't like the feeling." Terry moaned.

"Yeah, you wouldn't. The scythe is radiating negative energy." Apollo explained.

"I told you it was evil." Terry muttered. Apollo snapped his fingers and Terry's top was set on fire. He immediately panicked and screamed. I on the other hand grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher and put him out.

"Real mature Apollo." I said. He shrugged his shoulders.

"What? He was annoying me." I failed to stifle a few giggles and we promptly left the workshop. Soon it was time for the two teams to get into positions.

"Have fun" Apollo said. Then he kissed me in front of _everyone!_ He cupped my face in his hands like a delicate rose petal.

'_I think I'm going to be sick.' _Kronos commented

'_Don't you _dare_'_ I replied. I've heard of parents going on dates with their daughters before but usually they were in a separate body! There were a lot of cheers and swoons. When he pulled away, we momentarily gazed in each other's eyes. I was only half aware of some scornful looks from the Aphrodite cabin.

"I know you'll make the right decision eventually. And don't worry too much about the prophecy. It will sort itself out. I don't want anything bad to happen to you because I l..."

"I hate to break the love fest but we have a game to win." Clarisse interrupted. She didn't seem to care at all.

"Oh, off course" Apollo said "I'll see you later." He gave me a sad smile. "By the way, I understand completely. You have to do what you have to do. Family is important. Let me know when you need help." What was he talking about?

"Sorry, I babble a lot. I probably shouldn't have said that. Bye."

"Bye" I said, confused. He vanished in a flash of light. Clarisse looked pretty smug about herself.

"Did you have to do that?" I asked.

"No, I wanted to- besides, I'm not ready to lose this game." She replied. The key word here was _game_.

I suited up in black armour in a classic Greek style. It was my exact size and it was the only one in black, so I was suspicious. It had a note on it:

'_I thought you might prefer black leather. To win, you need to dress like a winner- comfortable and confident.'-Apollo_

It put a smile on my face- something only he could make me do these days. After getting dressed, I followed my team, the blue one. A lot of them became wary when they saw my scythe and stepped back.

"Hey Jackson" I said

"Oh hey Steph. It's nice to see that you have finally joined us. We thought you might have deserted us for your new boyfriend." He teased. I blushed, a deep crimson.

"Shut up"

"Okay, you all know the plan, right? Just to recap, Stephanie and I will advance together, find any traps and act as decoys. Clarisse will go with the Janus kids and find the flag. Apollo cabin will defend our flag with Christina and the Demeter cabin. Ares cabin can go on a blood-thirsty massacre and the Hermes cabin is in charge of setting up various traps. Got it?" Percy wasn't half bad at strategy. Still, the other team had the Athena cabin so we would have to be on our guards.

When the horn sounded, it was time for Percy and me to move. Seeing as how he knew this place better than I did, I let him lead. We got to a quiet area on our own. Percy moved forward and immediately, he tripped a wire and he flew up into the air, dangling from a rope. A bunch of campers came out of their hiding places and attacked. This was so _not_ what I needed.

'_Don't worry, I'm here to help' _Kronos assured me. I advanced, dodging arrows from two kids wearing armour with arrow pierced hearts. They must be Eros' kids.

Their archery skills were superior to all except the Apollo cabin. Still, I managed to slow down so I could successfully dodge the volley of arrows. Then I attacked some Athena kids with my scythe. I left one begging for mercy whilst another tried to help their injured team mate. On instinct, I lunged at them with my fist.

"Hey, cool it would you!" I said to Kronos.

'_Sorry, I was getting in the zone."_

'_Well get out of it.'_

Kronos groaned at me in his ancient language but I eventually got my way. I cut Percy free and we fought the rest of the enemy campers together.

"We make a good team." Percy said, whilst collecting the rope.

"I suppose we do." We continued on in search of the flag. "Clarisse must have gotten held back or something. I don't hear cries of victory." That's when I saw the flag, a few feet away. "It's ours for the taking. Let's grab it and go."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." A voice said. Hey, I recognise that voice. Nico appeared from the shadows and stood between us and the flag.

"Another fight, I can handle that." Percy said boldly. Please, I was the one fighting, He was hanging around.

"Well that's good for you because you aren't leaving the flag without a fight." Nico replied.

"_You are losing the aim of the game." _Kronos said

"_No I'm not"_

"_The point of this game is to give you cover. You can kidnap Jackson without anyone knowing."_

"_Right, let me just finish this fight."_ Kronos was growing impatient. He once again took control of my body and snapped my fingers. In that instant, Nico froze.

"Go get the flag Percy" I told him. He ran after it and returned quickly. "We had better get back before Nico gets back to live time." I said.

"Okay. Give me one second." He gave me the flag and tied Nico's legs up.

"_Now is the time. Get him whilst he's vulnerable!" _Kronos was right. If we ran back to base to return the flag, I would never get the chance I need. I waited for him to almost finish tying Nico before I him across the head with the end of my scythe. I didn't want two halves of him after all. He hit the ground with a thud; he was unconscious before I knew it. But still part of me wasn't sure if this was something I could go through with.

Should I really let Kronos win? As I was debating in my mind, I heard the rustling of some bushes. A figure came forward. It was Christina. She had on her full Greek armour and she wielded a sword. She was out of breath and her face was visibility sweaty. Her eyes grew wide as she realised what had just happened.

"Oh my gosh Steph. I hope you realise that he's in our team!" Did she really think I was so innocent?

"I know that"

"Oh..." She swallowed hard. "Stephanie, think about what you're doing. It doesn't have to be this way. You and I am still befriends. I promise to always have your back from now on. I was really scared back them is all." As she talked, a figure appeared. It was a man with two heads. If I wasn't mistaken, he was the god Janus.

"Choose wisely young demi-titan" The right head said.

"A bad decision can, no-will- scar you for the rest of eternity." The left warned

"I've made my decision." I nodded. "I'm sorry Christina but pray that this is the last time you seem for the next time, only one of us will be standing by the end of the reunion." A tear trickled down my face. Parting with my best friend was harder than I thought it would be. I still cared for other despite the fact that we should be enemies. She looked absolutely destroyed, to say the least. I wanted to go hug her and tell her that she still meant a lot to me but I couldn't. Being friends with the enemy would be too risky.

At that point, Nico came back to live time. My concentration must have wavered.

"_I told you that friends were just a distraction."_

"_Shut up" _I yelled. A flash of light was emitted and Hannah came forward.

"Hey there" She greeted me. Nico chose that moment to charge. Hannah quickly intercepted him and their swords clashed. That meant there was no one to stop me from grabbing Percy- or so I thought. Christina held her sword to my neck and we both suffered.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Isn't that obvious?" I'm stopping you." She barked.

"_Enough!" _Kronos fumed. I felt him wrestle for power. Soon he had complete control over me. Christina's eyes widened as she saw my golden eyes.

"I advise you step back, child." Kronos snarled.

"W-who are you and what have you done with my friend?" She stammered.

"It's him, it's Kronos!" Nico yelled. I turned around to see him get stabbed by Hannah and collapse to the ground in agony.

"Stop him Christina! Use you powers!"

"Go on Chrissie." Kronos mocked my nickname for her. "Oh, that's right- you're a coward. So do whatever it is you cowards do. Drop your weapon and stand aside or be prepared to die." Terror and sadness were in her eyes. Tears flowed down her cheek as she dropped her sword.

"Good" My lips curled into a smile. Kronos thrust my hand towards her and a force seemed to throw her at a tree. "Maybe Zeus will turn _you_ into a tree." She crumpled into a ball and shook from fear.

"Master, should I kill the boy?" Hannah asked, referring to Nico.

"Do what you feel is necessary." Kronos replied. As Hannah got ready to plunge the sword through his heart, I regained control.

"Don't you dare!" Hannah froze in her tracks.

"But..."

"But nothing, let's just get out of here." Hannah and I grabbed Percy, both of us putting an arm around our shoulders. Christina just stared at us as we disappeared.

**Author's Note: Good girl gone bad! Yes, she has turned to the dark side. I do like an anti-hero but I want to know what you think. PLEASE REVIEW! How do you think Apollo feels about that? Will she still love her? Find out next week...sorry.**


	9. Lover's Note

Lover's Note

**Author's Note: Here's my next chapter!**

When we arrived, there was celebration all round. The hero of Olympus was captured and at our mercy. I should have been happy; I had succeeded my mission. Yet I felt a pang of guilt. _'Beginner's guilt, you shall get over it.'_ Kronos said. I sat on a bench by myself.

"I betrayed the gods and the few half-bloods who had trusted me." I whispered to myself.

'_I know, you're an absolute natural!'_ Kronos praised. A fire was made and music blasted from stereos. Demi-titans danced ground in glee. Even Hecate and Prometheus (AKA: Kate and Theus) joined in. Percy's body had been taken away by telekhines to prepare it for Kronos' soul.

I went on a stroll in the woods by myself with a torch. I had been warned that a drakon lurked these woods at night and although it wasn't meant to attack demi-titans, monsters did what they wanted. It was as I was walking around that I heard leaves rustle; but I thought it was just the wind. Then all of a sudden, an arrow whizzed past me. It just missed my head and my body was washed with relief. I saw a distant figure of a woman with a bow. She had a stone cold serious expression and she disappeared almost as soon as I had seen her. Artemis. Looking at the arrow now stuck on a tree bark, it was illuminating silver. It was attached to a note.

_Dear Stephanie, _

_I understand and I still love you. If you need to find me, here's a clue:_

_I am born from my ashes._

_Love Apollo_

What was that meant to mean? I had a feeling that the answer was simple, I just wasn't thinking hard enough. Urgh, I thought he was the god of poetry, not riddles! And since when did he use his sister as a messenger? I was instantly dragged out of my thoughts when I heard a gut wrenching roar.

'_The drakon'_ Kronos said.

"Well, what's wrong with it? Is it after me?" Fear filled me and I began to shake. Mum used to tell me stories about the creatures of mythology. Drakons were by far one of the most deadly.

'_It's hard to say but if I'm not mistaken, I think it's coming this way.'_ I heard its footsteps like a deep African drum.

The first thing I saw was a guy running this way with a sword being grasped with his hand tightly. His eyes seemed to struggle adjusting to the bright light of my torch.

"Run!" He warned. When he realised that I wasn't moving an inch, he grabbed my free left hand and dragged me with him. "Whatever you do, don't turn around." He warned. Isn't it amazing how much more you are compelled to do something when you're told not to do it? So naturally, I turned around.

Let me tell you, I did _not _like what I saw. The creature seemed to have dark scales to camouflage with the night but its blood red eyes gave it away. It was those frightening eyes that caused me to stumble, dragging the boy down with me. The beast continued to chase after us and I screamed, naturally. Kronos slapped me with my own hand.

"_Be still, child! I will communicate with this beast!"_

"Knock yourself out." Kronos willed me to stand up. The drakon roared at me and I couldn't help but gag. That was nasty!

"What business do you have her Drakon?" Kronos asked. What, did he expect it to talk?

'_The Iapetus child wandered off into deep parts of the wood. I was afraid he was attempting to escape so I chased him back, Master. I'm sorry if I frightened your host.'_

"Don't worry, you are forgiven" Err, shouldn't he be apologizing to me? "Well done. I shall have to enquire this matter further. I don't take too kindly to traitors." He made me glare at Zack, who was now sitting upright on the floor. He stared back.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, boy?"

"I wanted some privacy. I wasn't trying to run away. I just wanted to do some private thinking. I like being alone at night in the darkness." Kronos put a hand at my chin.

"That's it?"

"That's it...Master." Zack added hastily. Kronos nodded.

"Well then, I suppose this has just been a misunderstanding Draco."

'_Who's Draco?' _I asked.

'_The Drakon'_

'_You named a Drakon, Draco?' _I wanted to burst out laughing but Kronos was still in charge of my body.

'_Is that a problem?' _Another voice said. Woah, where did that come from? Oh yeah, the Drakon. Wait, he can hear me?

'_Yes and I find you comment rather insulting.'_

'_Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had feelings' _I admitted.

'_Apology accepted.' _Then the Drakon walked off the direction it had come.

"You know, if I didn't know you were possessed, I'd think you were crazy." Zack said. I rolled my eyes and pulled him up.

"So are you feeling better? The last time I left, you weren't looking so good."

"I'm alright. Kate is a really good healer." We had to call Hecate by the nickname Kate and Prometheus, Theus. We tried calling him Prom but he didn't like it very much.

"I know it's not my place to question you loyalties but why did you choose to join the Titans? Your father is now good friends with the Olympians" I asked. I couldn't see his face clearly as we walked back towards camp but I'm sure he was knitting his eyebrows or something.

"It's okay" He replied. "I had a friend named Tabitha. We told each other everything- except the true identities of our parents. Her father was the Titan of Constellations. The stars remind me of her eyes. They had the same twinkle in them. She lived life as happily as she could despite the secret; she tried not to be bitter but I could tell that something was always bugging her but she wouldn't say. One day monsters attacked us both. We managed to survive it but then we had to tell each other everything. She told me about this camp but had refused to come because siding with the Titans would only make it worse for her. She didn't want to be an enemy of the gods. We nearly got to the border line of Camp Half-Blood but at the last second, she got hit by lightning. It was no accident: Mr Lightning Bold killed her!" He shouted the last line up to the heavens. His face was contorted into rage and the next thing I knew, a big patch of grass around him dead. It was a sickly yellow, dry like hay.

"I'm sorry for your loss" I barely whispered.

"Well it's not like you hurtles the bolt at her." He mumbled "I stayed at camp for a little while but I soon left. I had no faith in the gods anymore. An Atlas kid found me and tried to get me to join the Titans but I refused."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I made a deal with our 'friend' downstairs. He said if I could retrieve a magical item for him, he would release Tabitha's soul. We shook hands and he swore on the river Styx. I got him the stupid thing- risking my life a hell of a lot- but he double-crossed me!

"But didn't he swear on..."

"I know but he claimed he didn't specify when and how long for. So every day when the sun sets, he allows Tabitha to leave the Underworld. But it's not what I had in mind. She's a ghost..." I seriously thought he was about to cry. "I swore revenge and now here I am, hoping to get it. Tabitha keeps telling me I'm making a mistake, but the only mistake I made was trusting the gods. Justice is a joke to them. They think they're about everything and everyone!"

"_Mmm...Perhaps I've chosen the wrong host."_Kronos purred.

"You're not serious" I accidently said out loud.

"Of course I'm serious! They're all high and mighty on Olympus, they can't stop and think how what they do affect other people."

In a flash of light, Hannah appeared.

"The body is ready, Master"

"Excuse me but I'm in the middle of a rant" Zack lashed out.

"Save it for someone who cares. We are about to make history. You should be honoured to be a part of it."

We arrived at the infirmary soon after. Seeing Percy's body surrounded by all those hideous telekhines made me cringe. I still felt really guilty but I had a duty to do. The fate of all Demi-titans depended on it.

'_Are you ready?' _Kronos asked.

"As I'll ever be." Hecate, Zack and I began to chant in an ancient language. I felt something strange happening, a sort of tingling.

Hecate nodded towards Zack. He was in charge of the soul transfer; she was just there to aid him. I was told to close my eyes. If you've heard of the expression _'getting my heart torn out'_ you have a rough idea of how this felt. I screamed in pain as something inside of me got torn out. I fell backwards and Prometheus caught me just in time. He had been silently observing. My body felt tingly all over. I saw Percy sitting up on the bed. He had a look of menace on him as he flexed out his hand to test they were working properly. His usually sea green eyes were gold. He slowly got off the bed and a dark smile appeared on his face.

"It seems that we have succeeded." He announced.

Prometheus made me sit in a chair whilst Hecate got me one of her special remedies. I felt guilty for what I had done. Guilty yet relieved. I kind of felt free now. Sharing your room with you sibling may not be ideal but sharing your body (especially with your Dad!) was _much _worse. I finally had some privacy. So yeah- it sounds selfish but I was doing this for fairness and equality. Demi-titans were constantly getting killed just for existing. Every creature has the natural instinct of survival. What is wrong with wanting to live? A life for a life may not be ideal but sacrifices must be made sometimes.

**Author's Note: So what do you think? Please go to my profile and check out my poll. Should Steph continue to be an anti-hero or is she a good girl at heart? Should she stay with Apollo or shoud they split? VOTE NOW!**


	10. Betrayal

Betrayal

**Author's Note: I have had to change my story age rating from K+ to T because of the following events that are going to happen. I hope you enjoy!**

I wanted to leave without talking to Kronos-Percy (who I will now be calling Kronos for the rest of the story) but he wouldn't have that. He blocked the exit.

"We need to talk" He insisted. I sighed heavily and nodded. He opened the door and before I left, I saw an exhausted Zack collapse. He directed me outside and we walked past the obstacle course and sword training arena.

"You made the right choice you know." He said. When he said it, I realised that the usual pang of guilt had disappeared. I was a little worried that I didn't care about my act of betrayal but I was finally starting to feel that I belonged somewhere.

"I'm starting to think that I did."

"You know, I might have a special position for you in my army." He smiled to himself. I swear if he was going to get me to kill demi-gods, I would freak out. I was not a killer- but monsters don't count, they reform after all.

"Like what?" I asked.

"I want you to be my colonel"

"Colonel?"

"Yes. You would be in charge of keeping order amongst the demi-titans with Theus. This includes establishing order and discipline, helping with training and attending meetings with the Titans." He explained. Wow. I didn't know what to say. This would be a big responsibility.

"But why me?"

"I see potential in you to be a great leader. You have sacrificed a lot and I thought that you deserved a reward."

But it seemed too good to be true.

"What's the catch?"

"Catch?"

"The terms and conditions"

"I want you to stop seeing that god." Oh gods he didn't!

"You know I can't promise that. I really care about him and he makes me happy."

"I realise that but romancing with the enemy is like playing with fire; you're going to get burned."

I shook my head. "He cares about me and you know it. You're afraid that our relationship will get in the way of world domination."

"Yes, I am. I'd be fine with it if you were just using him to get his trust but you're too young to know how to manipulate people successfully- yet alone a god- without getting tangled in your own web."

"And you're an expert?" I asked.

"I might be" He had a sly smile on his face that sent a shiver up my spine.

"How did you learn?"

"Practice: one lie after another; getting into people's minds helps."

"Yeah, If only I could do that."

"Perhaps one day you shall. Anyway, it's time for you to make your choice. You may be my daughter but there might be other people who want the job you know; Hannah and Zack maybe useful." Using jealousy against me, _tisk-tisk._

"Alright you're simply _begging _for me!" I said dramatically, grinning.

"You're rather full of it" Kronos grinned back. It was nice to joke around with my dad. "Let's seal the deal with a handshake" Handshake? How dull. But instead of the business like handshake I was expecting, he had seemed to have made his own. I had seen a lot of the guys from my school make up their own handshakes. I had thought that it looked weird but doing with my hand felt special. After a few failed attempts, I had mastered it.

"I had better go get some rest. This mortal body gets weary rather easily." Kronos explained.

"Well, occupying to souls must take a huge toll on a body."

After he left, I walked over to my cabin. I was pleasantly surprised to see my mum there.

"Stephanie!"

"Mum!"

We held each other in a tight embrace. Her long dark hair was frizzier than usual. I had always found it strange how I had inherited her dark hair colour and thickness but my father's straight hair and blue eyes. Well obviously he had green eyes now but his former host had blue eyes. It was a strange combination. My mum's hazel eyes were filled with tears and she had her usual warm smile on.

"I see that you've been neglecting your hair" I commented.

"Oh, I could hardly think about that when I was so worried about you!" She jumped on my bed and ushered me to join her. I rolled my eyes and snuggled next to her.

"It seems like such a long time since I've seen you." I said.

"I know what you mean."

"I don't believe you never told me that my father was the Titan Lord!" I yelled, attacking her with a pillow.

"I wanted to. He said it would lead more monsters to you." She hit me back.

"Okay but promise me not to keep anymore secrets from me. Pinkie swear?"

"Pinkie swear"

"So how did you and dad meet?" This threw her off guard.

"Urm, I'm not sure you would want to know. You're a little too young." I rolled my eyes.

"You pinkie swore. If you want, just leave out the inappropriate bits."

She agreed.

"I ran into trouble with an Olympian and your father helped me after to pick up the pieces. The Olympian- not naming any names- used me, hurt me and then just left me. When none of the other gods helped when I beseeched them, your father was there. I joined the Titan army during the second Great War and I fell in love with him and then had you." She explained. I was really happy that dad loved her back but something just didn't add up. I had been told that the Great War had occurred when Percy was sixteen. He was now eighteen. I told this to my mum.

"Well, time was of the essence so your father had to speed up the pregnancy." He did _what _now?

"Then he dipped you in the river Styx- making you invulnerable, sped up thirteen years of your life on your body and sixteen years in your brain." I counted on my fingers. That meant that I had the maturity of an EIGHTEEN year old!

"What?" I yelled. "How could you let him do that?"

"Calm down honey, I think you know." And I did know.

"It was for my own good. If I'd remained that young the god would have killed me for sure."

"Exactly"

"I'm still not happy about it though."

"Then you had better remember that the gods don't care about mortals. We're just subjects to rule; Beings that were moulded out of clay. We're just here to amuse them, so they think." She ranted. She was on a roll and was absolutely determined to 'set me straight'. "They torture us; use us to keep them into power. But not anymore; we have the power to change all that now with the help of the titans and take what belongs to us." She did have a point. I'm surprised she didn't yell _'Give me liberty or give me death!'_

"Okay, I understand. We deserve better."

"Damn right we do" She sighed. "Okay, sleep tight." She hugged me tight and kissed me on the cheek, then left.

_In my dream, I was in the Big House, outside Kronos' room. I could hear groans of pleasure and comments I would rather not repeat. Gosh, those two were having a good time. At least mum couldn't complain of being lonely anymore. I just didn't understand why I was here. I started to hear footsteps approaching and as I was about to find a place to hide, I realised there was none. I was in a hallway with doors I presumed led to bedrooms. The figure came into sight and I saw my mum. Wait a second; I thought that she was with Kronos!_

"_Oh, Kronos" _

"_Oh Hecate" My jaw dropped. I had done my best not to listen in as it had repulsed me. As my mum walked closer, she seemed to pay no attention to me as if I wasn't really there._

"_Mum, you don't want to go in there." I said. My warning was wasted on deaf ears. She held onto the door knob but then decided to listen in first. She covered her hand over her mouth in shock when she realised what she was hearing. She stepped back quietly and I saw a tear fall down her face as she contorted in pain. Her hands turned into fists from rage. She looked as if she was going to barge in and have a big go at them both._

_Instead, she took a deep breath and simply walked away. As she got further back up the hallway, she sped up. _My heat broke into two pieces at that moment. Doubts began to plague my mind but I also knew that I would have to be very careful from that moment on. Kronos was far from human. That was sure.

Breakfast the following morning was unbearable. Prometheus, Hecate, Mum and Kronos were all at the same table. Mum looked like she hadn't had enough sleep. Her eyes were quite red from the crying I imagined she had done. Kronos looked rather steel faced. He was wearing smart-casual clothing which looked really odd on Percy's body. He had always been a t-shirt and jeans sort of guy. Hecate was surprisingly all smiles. Not the genuine kind Mum wears a lot but an 'I know something you don't' mischievous sort of smile. I was avoided the temptation of starting her down with a cold expression. Needles to say, Prometheus acted none the wiser though I knew he knew everything that was going on.

"When is you brother arriving, Theus?" Kronos asked.

"Soon I'm sure"

"He said he would be here two days ago." He growled

"He's the Father of excuses. What do you expect?"

"You shouldn't rely on a Titan like that. Why do we even need him?" Hecate asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out."

After breakfast, the day's activities began. I was scheduled to do meditation classes. Apparently I was meant to be one of the most powerful half-blood in existence. 'Half-blood' could technically refer to a demi-god or a demi-titan.

I just didn't know why I had to _meditate!_

"Stephanie!" Kronos called out as I walked to my stupid lesson. I kept walking. I heard him running after me but kept walking. Realising he was being ignored; he reached for my arm to bring me to a halt.

"What?" I screamed. He looked taken aback.

"I just wanted to talk. Is it a crime to want to talk to my daughter?"

"What about?"

"The meditation. I should probably tell you why I asked you to take it." His voice was deeper than Percy's. It had a silky texture to it that I realised he only used with me. The rest of the time he was stern and almost emotionless apart from when he was angry. "Are you okay?" He seemed genuinely concerned. His eyebrows were knitted.

"Yeah" I lied.

If he noticed, he didn't comment.

"I used to rule over the world. My domain was pretty much everything in sight." Yeah. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. "You have a lot of power but not all of my control. When I..." He seemed to have a hard time finding his word. "Inhabited your body, I was able to guide you and help you not to make a mess of everything. Now it's time for you to test you the powers without any training wheels!"

"What does meditation have to do with this?" I asked.

"Emotions can deter your control. When you are angry you may not be able to control your powers and you might use them irresponsibly."

"So meditation is to keep me calm?" I asked.

"Precisely. You won't be the only one there. There are some Atlas kids with behavioural issues and Epimetheus kids with concentration problems too."

"That makes me feel so much better."

He rolled those emerald eyes of 'his'.

"You'll thank me later." As I was about to walk away, I heard an angry voice yell out my name. I turned around to see my mum.

"Rebecca" Kronos exclaimed. "By the way, it's great seeing you." He tried to hug her but she pulled away.

"You can cut the crap. I know about you and Kate." His eyes narrowed as she pursed his lips.

"How do you...?" He began.

"I heard you two last night! How could you? After everything we've been through. I loved you."

Her usual shell of armour had been peeled off. She had her heart on her sleeve and didn't care that people around us had stopped to stare. Tears were flowing down her eyes like a waterfall. Her eyes were red and her face was a permanent scowl. Kronos turned to the small crowd of campers standing a few feet away.

"What do you think you're looking at?" He sneered. "Clear off before I put my scythe to good use!" He didn't have to tell them twice. I noticed that one of them was Hannah. She was the last to run off, giving me a look of sympathy.

"How could you Dad?" I asked, my voice just a whisper. He regarded me with a cool look and then gazed at my mum again.

"What do you want me to say Rebecca?"

"I want the truth."

"Okay then, you shall have it. I don't love you. I never did." My mum looked like she had been hit by a bomb. I felt numb and still. I had had so many revelations in the past week that this didn't shock me very much. His voice had been so sharp; a dagger that had cut my mother's vulnerable heart. She nodded slowly.

"You used me. You never cared."

"That's not entirely true. What the gods did to you was wrong and I wanted to help you, in all honesty I did. I cared about you enough not to have lied to you when you asked me right now, didn't I?"

"That's because you have what you want, an heir to help you take over the world." She yelled, pointing at me. "You used me!" She took off her 'promise' ring, as she called it, and threw it at Kronos. "All you ever wanted was someone who would sleep around with you and who would wait around for you when you left."

"Rebecca, I might have lied to you about that but my other promise still stands. You can still have immortality and rule over your own country. I don't want to break up on a sour note." He tried to reason.

"Forget it. I'm leaving and Stephanie is coming with me." She walked towards me and grabbed my wrist. I made no attempt to wrestle free. I felt limp from watching my parents argue. She took out a key from her pocket and mimicked unlocking the air. A door opened from out of nowhere.

"Where did you get that?" Kronos asked angrily.

"You weren't the only one who was attracted to me. The god of pathways and decisions gave it to me as but a small token of his love for me. Sadly I was so superficial back then. I turned him down because of his two heads. Apparently he wasn't the only two-faced person around."

"You can't do this Rebecca."

"Oh, but I can. Steph, open the door."

I turned to look at Kronos. He looked infuriated. I could clearly see the veins popping out of his face. And he said _I _need to meditate! I could see that this wouldn't end well if I attempted to leave.

"I can't" I shook my head. My mother's face fell.

"Why not?" Because Kronos would probably kill you!

"I belong here Mum. I'm a demi-titan; I wouldn't survive a second out there. Here I have protection and if you stayed, so would you." I felt hollow inside as I told her this. "I have to stay. I've finally found where I belong." She shook her head, and then thrust herself at me.

"No, you can't" She begged, hugging me. I hugged her back.

"I love you too mum; I really do. I want you to stay."

She let go of me.

"I can't do that."

"Come on Rebecca" Kronos purred. He wrapped his arms around us but Mum flinched and smacked him across the face.

I stood there, wide-eyed. Kronos remained still and held his face.

"Leave in peace before I change my mind and hunt you down myself." He snarled.

"I'm not afraid of you, Crooked One. The gods know how many times I've nearly faced death and yet laughed at it."

"Because you knew you had me to protect you."

"Because sometimes I'd rather be dead"

"Linger here longer and you shall have your wish!"

"GUYS, STOP IT!" I yelled. This was too much. I'd never thought that my parents would split up and now that the time had come, I simply wasn't ready.

"Stay if you must but I have no love for the gods or titans." Mum declared. "I'll brave it out myself and if I don't survive then I want you to know I will always love you, no matter what you decide." She kissed me lightly on the cheek and left after one more distasteful look at Kronos, the man I called Father. The door slammed shut and vanished. She was gone.

**Author's Note: Aaw, things just get worse for Stephanie, don't they? Please review and tell me what you think. Do you think Rebecca (the mum) should have left? Wish she'd kicked him in the balls? I know I do!**


	11. Misunderstandings

Misunderstandings

**Author's Note: Things have been going downhill for Steph. Let's see how she deals with her problems...**

I stood there at the verge of breaking out into tears. My mum had left me and I had left her. Even Dad had let her leave. Why was I now referring him _Dad_? Because he was all the family I had now. Why were relationships crumbling around me? First I had betrayed Percy and Nico, then I had threatened my ex-best friend; now I had watched my mum leave. But I had to be strong. I couldn't give into my emotions and fall apart. I had to suck it up. I had to...

Kronos walked over and held me. My _Dad _was hugging me.

"Its okay, let it out. You can cry."

My thick skin fell apart and I was crying in his arms. I knew that it was his entire fault and I wanted to be mad at him but he was all I had left. I wanted to get along with him. When I was done crying, I pulled away. I looked up at him and forced a weak smile. I tried to read his emotions. I wish I could delve into his mind and figure him out sometimes. He seemed to be able to change emotions quickly. Angry one minute; then sympathetic the next. His face gave nothing away though. He was calm and composed with only a hint of worry.

"Thanks."

"Its okay" His lips began to curve into a smile but then it was blank again. He walked over towards me and touched my face, brushing his thumb at my tears. Then he kissed my cheek. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry about Rebecca but please don't go after her." I nodded. I loved my mum but...I had chosen my allegiance.

"I'm gonna go now. I'll see you later" I turned in the direction I had come, towards the cabins."

"Meditation class is the other way" Kronos informed me.

"I know. I'm not going."

"Why now?"

I turned to face him as I walked away backwards. "I'm not in the mood." I thought that he might attempt to force me to go but he just let me walk on. Walk on I did. I slumped on top of my bed and soon felt a letter underneath it. I stood up to analyse it and saw a single black feather next to it. He didn't! I opened the envelope. He did! I knew that one of Apollo's sacred animals was a black bird; probably a Raven or Crow. They used to be white. He got mad at them for some reason and turned them black. He used them to send important messages and it made more sense than getting his sister to post his letters.

It read:

_Dear Stephanie,_

_I'm sorry to hear about your Mum. I'll watch her to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I could even protect her if you want. If you need anything else, you know where I am (I hope)._

_Love Apollo_

I still hadn't figured that one out. Surely his clue hadn't been that difficult! _'I am born from my ashes'. _I sighed at my own stupidity. Yet I still decided to pack my bare essentials in a back pack and leave. I hoped I would pick up a clue on my way there. So riddles weren't my strong point; I would manage. What I didn't get was how he had known so soon. Was he _spying _on me? Should I be flattered or freaked out? I shrugged it off. I walked towards the canteen to grab a few bites. When I was done, I turned a corner and bumped into someone. She had been holding a tray full of tea and coffee and now some of it had scolded her.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I said, picking up the few un-shattered mugs.

"You should be" Then I realised who she was. She was Hecate.

"Oh, it's you. In that case, I take it back." I had grabbed her hand to help her up. Then I let go and she tumbled back to the ground.

"You little brat!" She shouted.

"You man stealing Queen of witches and bitches!" With that, I was off. I couldn't stand her. I used to like her a little bit but now I realised that she was just a cold-hearted beast. I wondered if she actually loved my dad or if she was just after the power. Either way, I'm sure he didn't love her.

"Well at least when Kronos rules, I'll be his Queen! What do you get? You get to watch your boyfriend and all those demi-gods you betrayed ROT in Tartarus!" She sneered. Her voice was full of venom and it stung my heart. Without turning around, I gave her a rude hand gesture.

I had no trouble leaving camp and I was eventually walking in the streets of Manhattan. As I walked by a newsagent store, I saw a newsstand reading _'Phoenix fire, five die'_. Then it hit me. Phoenix, Arizona! I'm surprised I didn't realise it sooner. The Phoenix rises from its own ashes. Out of nowhere, a taxi sped toward me, stopping front of me as its passenger door flung open.

"Get in. Lord Apollo has already paid." An old croaky voice said. With some hesitation, I entered. The cab was far from new with various stains in it. Instead of two people sitting at the front, three old ladies were huddled together. They seemed to be arguing about an eye- ick. The next thing I knew, we were racing ahead. And I thought my mum's driving was scary!

They dropped me outside a reasonably sized house, leaving me shaking. I was surprised Apollo hadn't gone for something grand and showy. Instead it had quite a suburban feel to it. As I was about to knock the door, it opened on its own accord. '_Okay, cliché horror movie moment!_' I thought to myself. I walked into the reception area, dumped my bag and closed the door.

"Good afternoon" A voice beamed. I was caught off guard and instantly brought out my new trusty scythe.

"Good gods! Calm down." He yelled. He had been hiding behind the door.

"Who are you?" I snapped.

"Eros, god of love and desire" He bowed. For the first time, I really looked at him. He looked about twenty with luscious curly brown hair and emerald green eyes. He had sun kissed skin and adorable long eye lashes. But that still didn't make me any less suspicious.

"Where is Apollo?"

"He got caught up in a meeting with the other Olympians regarding the rise of your father. He asked me to keep you entertained in any way I sought fit." I raised my eyebrows at that statement, thinking things I probably shouldn't have been.

"Oh, I don't mean it like that!" He said, raising his hands. My immediate anger had dulled. Instead, I felt a sharp pang of longing. My eyes seemed to come to focus with Eros' lips. The way they curved was remarkable. They looked soft and hydrated. I imagined that he must have had a lot of experience.

"Why don't I show you to the living room?" He offered. I followed. He made himself comfortable on a sofa and I sat next to him, facing the TV. It seemed to be paused on a Play Station 3 game.

"Are you okay? You seem to be mooning at me." He said.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." I couldn't make sense of my behaviour. I was head over heels for Apollo!

"Don't worry, it must be my aura. My mum has a similar one, though mine is more specific towards lust." He snapped his fingers and I seemed to be lifted from my trance.

"Feel better?"

"A little"

"You wanna put that away now? It's making me nervous."

"Oh sorry, I forgot it was there." I said, putting away my scythe.

He sighed, relieved.

"Uncle warned me that you might not be trusting to begin with but that scythe looks lethal- and I'm _immortal_." It stunned me the way her referred to Apollo as 'uncle'.

"Uncle? I thought you hated him after that time he made fun of you. In the myth, you got revenge on him by shooting him with an arrow, making him fall in love with a nymph. Then you shot the same nymph so that she despised all men. When he gave chase, she ran away until she couldn't take it anymore and begged for peace. Then she was turned into a laurel tree- ironically his sacred tree."

"Woah! You really know you mythology." He looked impressed. I shrugged. "Yeah, all that stuff happened. But if there is anything I know about love, it's to forgive and move on. It turned out Apollo is actually pretty cool. Of course you already know, don't you?" He gave me a mischievous smile. "He must be a great kisser, eh? Well I did give him some tips."

"Wait, aren't you younger than him?"

"So? My mum is Aphrodite. Making love comes naturally to me." ***As I was typing this up I started to listen to **_**Naturally **_**by Selena Gomes. Random but true. Back to the story now...*** My eyes grew wide. How did we get to this topic?

"What, you don't believe me?" He leaned closer to me, caressing my cheek. I felt really nervous all of a sudden and I had plans on bringing out my scythe. Then I had a gut wrenching feeling in my stomach. Something seemed to overwhelm me and I couldn't resist the temptation any longer. I began to close the gap between us. My lips finally met his. I pecked him one, twice, then my entire being seemed to be immersed in his. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kissed hack. He let me dominate the kiss as I pushed him back on the sofa. Without hesitation, I removed his t-shirt and traced my fingers around his abs. He smiled up at me, his eyes alluring. I leaned back in, allowing him to explore my body.

"You two seem cosy" A voice uttered. I was so bewildered, I immediately snapped back to sense.

"Apollo!" I yelled. I turned too quickly and fell off the couch. I shot up hastily.

"Stephanie. Eros." He said our names with difficulty and pain. "When I asked you to keep her entertained, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"Hey she kissed me" Eros insisted, with his hands behind his head on the sofa. He was trying to be relaxed about the situation but I saw the concern on his face.

"Is this true?" Apollo's eyes were full of hurt.

"Yes but..."

"You would cheat on me with my own _nephew_? After everything I had risked for you!" He was raising his voice now.

I walked towards him. "I...Apollo, I have no idea what came over me. I would never purposely do something like that to you."

"And yet you have. Maybe my father was right; you can no longer be trusted."

"Apollo, no!" I gasped. "Listen to me. I don't know how it happened. Please, I'm sorry." He turned around, unable to meet my gaze. His back was like a brick wall. I walked after him, grabbing his arms. He lashed out at me, slapping me in the face. I fell bewildered by his fit of anger.

"You know, I really thought you were different!" He yelled.

"I am! You have to believe me!" I was crying now. A vein was pulsating on his forehead. I knew that when gods got angry, they could blow stuff up but many preferred curses. Arachne and Cassandra had learned from their mistake the hard way.

Eros was worried now. He stood up and tried to help me up. I slapped his hand away. "I'm fine!" I insisted. I got up on my own.

"You know, it's one thing to make out with a guy behind my back. It's another to lie to my face afterwards."

"I'm telling the truth" I didn't mean to."

"I'm sick of you lies. You know- why don't we settle this, titan child?"

To my amazement, he brought out a sword. The next thing I knew, I had side-stepped from my original position as the blade swung at the now vacant space.

"If a fight is what you want them fine!" I yelled, wiping my tears away. I brought out my scythe and prepared for battle. Apollo and I had been like Romeo and Juliet up until this moment. Now instead of the traditional death, we were going to maim each other. Who would come out victorious?

**Author's Note: Aww. The couple's first fight, quite LITERALLY. What do you think? Happy ending or awful death? Just kidding. I won't kill her off that quickly...or will I? What do you want to happen? PLEASE REVIEW! =D **


	12. Confrontation

**Author's Note: I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for not having updated ALL month. I've been really busy and I still am. Mock Exams next week and the week after. PLEASE wish me luck. I have a TEN hour exam in 2 weeks spread over Monday and Tuesday. I love art really and I'm looking forward to it but I'm a little worried. Anyway, enough about my problems. Let's get back to Stephanie's... **

Chapter 12: Confrontation

This is what I got for fraternising with the enemy. Why couldn't I have stayed away from him? Now I would have to pay the consequences. I held on to my scythe so tightly, my knuckles turned white. I looked into Apollo's eyes for something. I wanted to hope that we could just end this now and make up.

"Apollo, this is ridiculous. It doesn't have to be this way," Desperation was in my voice.

"Nobody makes a fool out of me and gets away with it. You will _pay." _

Then he charged. I just about managed to dodge him. A severed head would not be ideal. You think you know a guy. Surprisingly enough, I was on the defence. I guess I just couldn't find it within me to harm him even if he had just torn out my heart. It's a shame I couldn't say the same about him. He had a look of rage and pure hate on his normally angelic face. He attempted to strike me several times with his sword but I managed to parry. Then he slashed me across the face. Pain hit me in a rush, stinging me not only physically but also emotionally.

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Eros had been trying to break us apart for a while, to no avail. He just wasn't the warrior type.

"Stay out of this, Diaper Boy!" Apollo, yelled.

"Look, I know you're mad but tell me you did _not_ just go there." Eros snapped. Apollo didn't answer. Instead, he cut my arm with the tip of his blade. I was going to have to bring it up a notch if I didn't want to get ripped up to shreds. For once, I really wish Kronos- my father, was here.

I took a couple of deep breaths. I concentrated as best I could on time slowing down. Then I snapped my fingers. The events unfolding in front of my eyes were shocking. Apollo was coming at me as slow as a snail, aiming for my chest. On the other hand, Eros was like a broken CD player. He was constantly commenting "Asshole...Asshole...Asshole" I punched Apollo in the nose and everything came back to live time as I lost concentration.

"Oh gods, you broke my _nose!" _Apollo yelled.

"And your ego, don't forget your ego," I replied. "Jerk!" Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, was dripping from his nose. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. His eyes flared up in that instant. I knew he was about to vaporise me. I guess this was my end.

He swung at me with his sword. I blocked with my scythe. He was too strong. He kept adding more muscle to his original swing in an attempt to disarm me, I guess. He leaned in closer.

"Perhaps a final kiss?" He asked softly. I did miss his warm touch...but no, I couldn't do it.

"Nice try. I'm not Cassandra." Then I made my strike. I kicked him in the balls with as much force as I could muster. He reeled back in pain, falling on his knees. "Good luck reproducing now." I snarled. A smile that I could only describe as sickening flickered across my face. I met Eros' bewildered gaze.

"Run" he said simply. I looked down at Apollo to see what he was worrying about. Apollo was carrying his bow and golden arrow. I managed to put one and two together and decided to take Eros' advice.

"Goodbye, love" Apollo whispered.

"No!" Eros yelled. I managed to see Eros attempt to knock out Apollo's bow from his hands. Unfortunately, as I turned around again, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I felt my stomach and oozing red blood.

"Damn you... to Hades, Apollo" I managed before I passed out.

"You're an idiot for saving her and I'm a bigger one for going along with all this and helping" A deep voice spoke. Everything was dark. I couldn't see a thing but my hearing was just fine.

"Eros is a good friend of mine and you said it yourself; the Fates have told you that it is not yet her time." Another replied. His voice was soft and smooth like honey.

"It's a wonder how she survived. That arrow was tipped with a horrid poison."

"Well, you're just a terrific healer."

"Sucking up to me won't let you off. You owe me, nephew." The nephew sighed.

"Yes, uncle. Hey, she's awake. I can sense it."

"Already?"

"Well, it's only been a week." A WEEK? I wanted to yell out but my body was unresponsive to my orders. Darn it.

A felt a tingle sensation on my face as delicate fingers touched it.

"I wonder if she can hear me" I wanted to tell him that I could but I was incapable.

"You won't find out if you don't wake her up" The uncle replied "Now get on with it. I've been gone for long enough. Hades is going to hunt me down soon enough." I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. A man stood by my bed. Was he an angel; was I in heaven? The man had short snow white hair, with eyebrows to match. He had silk smooth skin and sparkling eyes that seemed to change colour. He wore a casual tucked in shirt that would have looked geeky on any other guy but suited him well. He had black jeans and wore a long shimmering robe. It made him look all the more grand but what shocked me the most were his gigantic white wings.

"Am I dead?" I asked.

"Trust me; I would know if you were dead." The deep voice stated.

I turned around and saw more or less an opposite looking figure. He looked just as youthful as his nephew but he had long jet black hair and eyes to match as well as his black wings. He looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Looking around, I seemed to be in the private room of a hospital.

"Who are you guys?" I asked.

**Author's Note: Okay, I know it's short and you're probably annoyed about it being left on a cliff hanger but that's just how it is. Feel free to guess who the two strangers are! :D Next chapter will be longer.**


	13. Memory Lane

**Author's Note: I apologise for not having updated. Mock exams can be stressful. It is now the Xmas hols and it is cold and snowing here. Anyway, let's get back to Stephanie...**

Memory Lane

"Do you seriously not remember us?" The uncle asked.

"Um..."

"Leave her alone. She hasn't been here in a long time and we _are _just minor gods." The white-haired said.

"Speak for yourself. I've been around longer than the Olympians" His nephew rolled his eyes. "I'm Death; he's Dreams to put it simply."

"Like literally?" I asked.

"We are the personifications of Death and Dreams" The nephew explained. "My _real _name is Morpheus. This is my uncle, Thanatos."

"Nice to meet you...again" Thanatos smiled. He shook my hand with his gloved one.

"Nice gloves"

"Thanks. You can have them if you want."

"I couldn't" I blushed.

"Sure you can. Consider them a gift from an old friend." I wanted to refuse because quite frankly this was just too weird. I'd met these guys before? Yet, something about them _did _seem familiar. The next thing I knew, the leather gloves were on my hands. They were leather fingerless gloves. How did they even fit? His hands were a lot bigger than mine. Then with a deadly serious face he said "Use them wisely" Then he dematerialised in black smoke.

"He's _so _grim about things" Morpheus moaned. "And he wonders why I don't invite him to parties."

"What's so scary about the gloves?" I asked.

"Don't worry about them."

"Okay. So...where am I?"

"My Kingdom of dreams" He smiled.

"Right..." I manoeuvred myself to the side of the bed in an attempt to get up."

"Careful," Morpheus warned "The morphine might not have worn off completely."

Another figure entered the room through a door that hadn't been there a second earlier.

"Eros!" I fumed. I practically leaped out of my bed to attack him. My legs were jelly under my weight and I began to fall. Morpheus caught me at the last second.

"I warned you"

"I am going to tear you apart and then get Backbiter on you when you reform!"

"How lovely" Morpheus commented. He helped me up but when I realised he was going to set me back on the bed, I attacked, hitting and pinching. Eros seemed to look rather scared. His usual smirk had vanished.

"Please desist" Morpheus asked. I persisted nonetheless. He held on tightly-almost possessively- and a wave of tiredness hit me. I immediately stopped hitting. He sat on my bed and propped me on his lap. This was an invasion of my space and part of me wanted to jump right off but at the same time, I felt calm and content. I just wanted to relax in his embrace. It just made me feel happy...no. This is _not _happening. It's probably just his sleepy powers. I mean, Eros had tricked me into kissing him with his powers of lust. _Stupid Cupid!_

"Is it safe to come any closer?" Eros asked. He stood uncomfortably near the door. I narrowed my eyes at him. I at least had that much control of myself.

"Sure" Morpheus replied. Eros stayed where he was. Good doggy.

"Stephanie, I'm sorry about what I did. Zeus forced me. He was..."

"Bull" I snapped.

"But..."

"I could say that my father made me do a lot of things but I know deep down that I made every choice for myself, more or less. Why don't you just try to be responsible for you actions?"

Eros stated at the ground. Perhaps he was ashamed. Good. "Why are you even here?"

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry" He stood uncomfortably, his eyes practically begging me to forgive him.

Morpheus must have thought I was going to lunge after him again because I soon went very limp.

"Just go" I managed. Tears fell down my face.

"I'll make it up to you." Then he was gone. Morpheus took my lifeless hand in his and intertwined them together.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Losses" I corrected him. I felt a wave of energy and I was suddenly on high alert again. Morpheus stood up and I was finally able to stand again without support."

"So you're the real 'Sand Man'" I stated.

"At your service" He bowed. "Though please don't call me that" He rolled his eyes.

"I don't think I will"

"You certainly have not changed." What was he talking about? Had I really been here before? I couldn't recall ever having been here.

"What do you mean by that?"

His wry smile faded. He looked at me intently with eyes that changed from green to the shade of Apollo's eyes and it forced me to look away. "You truly do not remember me, do you?" He stepped closer and I stepped back when he reached a hand out to me. "You do not even trust me anymore" He said sadly.

"I've learned the hard way not to trust gods" I muttered.

He nodded in understanding.

"May I?" He stretched his hand again. Something in his eyes made me want to trust him. "I just want to check something" I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes and nodded. A warm hand reached my forehead and images flickered through my head. I saw Morpheus and Thanatos as I had earlier when I woke up. I saw the fiery look in Apollo's eyes when he was ready to kill me. I saw the despairing look on my mum's face when I hadn't left camp without her. I saw Nico's betrayed face when I had been kidnapping Percy. I saw the snow monsters that had been out to get me and Hecate and Prometheus who had been in disguise at the very same place. My memories went all the way back to my first day of high school. Then a memory I must have been buried very deep:

Blue startled eyes- Kronos in Luke Castellan's body. Yes, I knew about the ill fate of the former son of Hermes.

"This won't hurt a bit little Stephanie. I'm just going to adjust your memories a little bit."

"Why, and will it hurt?" I asked. I obviously couldn't see my own face which bugged me because I wanted to know just when this was.

"Not a bit" He reassured me. "It's for your own good. I can't very well have you blathering about the dream world and about Greek gods and Titans.

"But they _do _exist."

"Yes but where you are going, nobody will believe you" He was becoming impatient and he looked really tired. He was in full armour ready to battle. "If I lose this war I need you, do you understand?" He held onto my shoulders and looked at me with...desperation; Perhaps sadness and anger? Love? It was hard to tell.

"I'll do it Dad. I'll do whatever it takes to help you."

"Swear to me on the River Styx."

"I...swear" Thunder rumbled and the deed was done. Kronos/ Luke smiled and there was a flash of white.

The whole thing was rewound in my head like a VCR player. Nothing. It stopped like that had been the beginning of my life. I blinked and hit Morpheus' hand, tears welling up in my eyes.

"HE'S USING ME! He didn't even dip me in the Styx to make me almost indestructible!" Anger surged through all my veins.

"When he asked me to look after you, I had no choice." Morpheus said. I looked up at him.

"What?"

"For a year, I looked after you. Here. Time is different here though... so it was probably only six months in the real world." He shrugged.

"Why did you do it?" I demanded.

"I sided with the Titans in the last war. It was my duty, apart from making the whole of New York City fall asleep. When the war ended, you were already gone and the gods forgave me amongst other minor gods."

"So having me here won't help you will it? Just show me the way out." I opened the nearest door and I was surprised to find nothing inside. It was just white.

"Only dream spirits can travel through my world without getting lost." He warned. I advise you don't start running off. I turned to face him and to my surprise, he was closer than I had anticipated.

"Have you ever heard of personal space?"

He smiled that lopsided smile again.

I seemed to notice something strange about him. Despite his white hair, he really didn't look like an old person. He seemed perhaps the same age as Eros. _Gods_. Can't they just make things easy and looks their age?

"I will help you regain your memories Stephanie. That you can be sure of." But why did he care so much?

**Author's Note: Thank you to all who pestered me to update. So what do you think is going on with Morpheus, Thanatos and Stephanie? Why would Thanatos lend her **_**gloves? **_**Oh my goodness, I just nearly choked on my sandwich!**

**And what kind of a **_**father **_**is Kronos?**


	14. Stranger Danger

Stranger Danger

**Author's Note: I figured I ought to update what with the Festive Season. Enjoy =D**

Morpheus closed the door and then opened the same one again. This time instead of nothing but white, I saw a bedroom.

"After you" Morpheus nudged me. I looked up at him nervously and then stepped in. I was afraid that something else strange would happen. He followed me inside as I walked around the room. Inside was a funky spaced out bedroom. The ceiling was black with twinkling starts. A king sized bed was in the middle of the room, facing a giant sized television.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling and made it look more sophisticated and classy. I turned on what I assumed to be a light switch and a wall that had all the world clocks was revealed. It was really cool but kind of weird. There was a decent sized wardrobe and dressing table with a mirror too but what astounded me was the balcony. I walked over and opened the doors. It showed me a glorious ocean with smooth white sand. The smell of the roaring tide overpowered my nose. It was so wonderful!

"Do you recognise it?" Morpheus asked.

"Should I?"

"This used to be your room. And this balcony was kind of a special place for you." I didn't have to ask why. It was stunning. "Do you recall anything? Anything at all, perhaps a special time?" He was looking at me in an almost desperate way...almost.

"I'm sorry...no" I tried to rack through my brain but I just couldn't find anything. If I could hardly remember him, then why would I remember whatever happened on this balcony? "Why, what happened here?"

He just shook his head. "Never mind"

"No tell me. I want to know."

"It's best that you find out on your own. You might not believe me if I told you. Either way, you probably wouldn't want it to be true." That really annoyed me. Why did he have to be so mysterious about it? I was getting fed up of this place, of him.

"If you don't want to tell me then fine, but I really don't want to stick around here." I took a step to leave but he grabbed my wrist.

"Please don't leave. I want to talk to you. Maybe I could answer some other questions of yours."

"I was your guardian, and your best friend"

"And Thanatos?"

He shrugged. "A friend I suppose but he tends to be rather aloof."

"He seemed pretty forward when he gave me these gloves." I lifted them up a bit. "By the way, why did he give them to me?"

"You will find out when the time is right."

"Keeping secrets are we? Don't best friends tell each other everything?" I smiled.

"Some things are best kept secret." He said rather seriously. "Besides, being the daughter of Father Time, should you not respect timing?" To lighten the mood he added, "Don't you like a surprise?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Not recently." He gave me a warm smile and brought me closer for a hug. I didn't resist. I found that I really like being there, in his arms. It made me feel safe and calm.

"I knew that if you survived out there in the real world you would change. I just didn't think that you would forget me."

"Sorry. I wish I remembered."

"It's not your fault." He brought my hair out of my face with his fingers, then ran a finger down my cheek. My heart seemed to beat faster and I caught my breath as memories came flooding back. _I was standing right here with the exact same setting in the background. Morpheus looked much the same but his hair was longer. He held me much like the way he was holding me in the present. He looked at me longingly with those ever changing eyes of his. Then he leaned in closer and captured my lips in his. And I remember being incredibly surprised, trying to reel back a bit in shock. But I had kissed him back- my so called best friend. Only the alarming knock on the bedroom door stopped us. It was Prometheus ready to collect me. _

I came back to present time and slapped Morpheus' hands away. I did not want to go down this road...not again. Dating gods wasn't advisable and I didn't want to make the same mistake.

"This is too much for me" I said. A tear fell from my eye. "How do I even know that I can trust you?"

"I'm your best friend"

"No. You're a god. Gods aren't to be trusted. I won't make that mistake again. You might be charming now but underneath that facade you're just like the rest of them."

He smiled slightly. How could he be so cool about it when I had just hounded him? "I'm not Apollo. I actually care about you. I don't need an arrow to do it either."

"What are you talking about?" I raised a brow. Instead of answering my question he shook his head. "Ask Eros. It was _his _idea."

"Fine, I _will_!" As I stormed out of the room, I saw the bed post Carved on it was my name, and Morpheus' name like how young couples do with a love heart around it:

'_Stephanie + Morpheus'._ I wasn't sure what to think. Perhaps this was a lie. That could make sense! He was taking advantage of a vulnerable teenage girl. But the memory had seemed so real. Well, he was the god of dreams. In a huff, I stalked over to the door and opened it. Once again it was white. This time I stepped in onto something quite clearly solid.

"Stephanie!" Morpheus yelled after me. He was too late. I slammed the door in his face. Just to make sure, I opened the door again and instead there was only a brick wall. How strange. I roamed around the plain white world for a little while. Then I heard the howling of the wind.

I felt a chill down my spine. I heard a small chuckle and I looked all around for where it could possibly be coming from. No one was in sight. I closed my eyes to concentrate on calming down. When I opened them, I was somewhere else. Somehow I knew that I was on Olympus, though I had never visited it myself. Perhaps it was the massive thrones that gave it away. In the middle of the room were my mum and dad. My dad loomed over my mum with backbiter ever so close to her neck.

"Dad!" I yelled. He didn't seem to notice me.

"You have stood in my way for the last time Rebecca. You pledged your allegiance to me and now you have betrayed me. You will pay dearly." He promised.

Just as he was about to do the deed and kill her, everything paused. Oh my gosh! My _mum _could be the one mentioned in the prophecy. _She _could be the traitor. And I had let her leave the safety of the camp. What dangers was she facing? Was she even alive? I wish I knew.

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that. A bit of a twist with her love life. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. Not What It Seemed

**Author's Note: It is nearly NEW YEAR! (Except for Australia who is already in 2011, and other countries who I've missed). So I have decided to update now before school starts again. (Aww!) **

**I hope this chapter shines some light in Stephanie's otherwise currently dreary life. **

Not What It Seemed

Just as someone had seemed to hit the pause button, the 'performance' resumed. Kronos' scythe punctured my mother's stomach. Her eyes grew wide from the pain and a devilish smile flickered across Kronos' face. Then he disappeared. I ran over to my mum.

"Stephanie..."

"Mum. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I wept, holding her to me, her blood curling around me. She seemed to be chocking on something. I soon realised what it was and I became sick to my stomach.

"You did this to me" She said. Then her eyes shut and her body went slack. She was dead. And it was my entire fault. Pain, fear and rage clung on to me. I felt it bubble inside of me with the sickness of all the blood around me.

A horrible laugh filled the room, mocking me. Then a door opened and Morpheus appeared. His eyes searched the room and then he met my gaze. For a second I saw worry there. Then it turned into pure rage as his jaw tensed.

"Icelus, reveal yourself!" Morpheus ordered. He seemed to be shouting to thin air. Then strangely enough, my mother disappeared in black smoke. Even the blood on my hands was gone. But the sickening feeling in my stomach remained. The laugh returned. "You are absolutely no fun, brother" A voice called out.

I searched around and then I saw a figure stitch itself together from shadows. He had a strong, tall figure with large wings. The shadows weaved flesh and fine robes.

"It's nice seeing you again Steph. How are you?" He asked, wearing a plastic smile. He approached me and attempted to hug me. I took a step back but he grabbed me and forced me into his embrace. I was shaking from fear. There was something about his aura that brought my most inner fears to the surface. The next thing I knew, I saw him hurled across the room. Then the illusion of Olympus faded and I was back in the white room.

Morpheus was at my side again, his hand around my waist, protectively...possessively. His face showed his anger all too well but above all else, his eyes changed colours so quickly, I was almost dizzy. "I told you _never _to touch her. Not now, not ever." He snarled. His brother stood up slowly, his blue eyes shining with amusement and with a lopsided smile to match. He ran a hand down his short black hair but he certainly wasn't nervous.

"That was a long time ago, Morpheus. I've changed." He replied, feigning innocence.

"What makes you think I believe you? Leave her alone."

"But she's such great fun." Morpheus took a step towards him but I held onto his arm and shook my head.

"I've got this." I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing. Though I had learned not to mess with gods, it seemed that this was going to be an exception. If anything went wrong, I had Morpheus. "You think I'm a toy to play with? You think you can overwhelm me with fear and get away with it?" I asked. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I am god of nightmares. I am Phobetor." He said this boldly like it was of great importance to me. It wasn't.

"No. You are a bitter god trapped in the shadow of you elder brother. You may be the god of nightmares but you have fears too."

"Enlighten me." He said in that amused tone of his again.

"You fear loneliness. You have tried being with women. You've tried all kinds: nymphs, mortals, even goddesses." It was like his mind was being revealed to me. I felt his fear and I inhaled the sweet, lavish aroma. And I didn't stop there. "You can't get close to them enough without either frightening them half to death or giving them constant nightmares."

"How dare you! I am a god. Of course I can control myself."

"That's what you would like to think. You bring out the fear in people whether you like it or not and the longer you spend with them, the stronger the fear." I grabbed his shirt and pulled his face down to my level and looked at him straight in the eyes. Terror and sadness filled them. "You don't scare me. You can't even handle your own fears. Boo!" He flinched and reeled back. I laughed at him and then he dematerialised in his black smoke. I heard clapping behind me. I turned around to see a smile on Morpheus' face.

"Well done. I could not have done it better myself. I do not think he will be bothering you for a while." I sighed in relief. It's strange to think that as I had been talking to Phobetor about his insecurities, I myself had my heart in my throat. I was afraid of his reaction. It could have been my undoing, despite Morpheus being there to protect me.

"I don't believe I just did that." I said. "I scared the god of nightmares."

"And I congratulate you."

"Aren't you like brothers?"

"Yes but he does my head in." He shrugged. "But he has his uses."

The rest of the day was relaxing. We played video games and mostly just talked about things. Lots of things: my powers, our families, camp, favourite foods and drinks, books, movies... Some of these subjects saddened me. Then we talked about my father.

"What was he like during the last war when you pledged your allegiance?" I asked.

"Temperamental. Too many centuries waiting I suppose. Prometheus particularly liked to see how far he could test his patience. But your mother was always there to calm him down." I sighed when he mentioned her. He didn't comment. He didn't try to comfort me with meaningless words. That would have been simply insulting. I knew she was in danger. I tensed at the thought of her running from monsters.

"I wish he wasn't so evil." I said.

Then the game stopped when Morpheus paused it.

"Evil?" He raised an eyebrow. "Your father isn't evil. He is manipulative, cruel, cynical but not evil." I simply rolled my eyes.

"Those are some of his evil qualities."

"He is capable of feeling you know. He can love." Why he _defending_ him? "He has done a lot of things in your best interest. He brought you here and he was the one who ordered Prometheus to take you. Otherwise the gods would have found out about you far earlier."

"But he lied to my mum about dipping me in the River Styx"

"Of course he did. That would have been far too dangerous. You were not ready. You are his daughter, not Luke Castellan."

"So it's fine to do it to a demi-god but not your own flesh and blood?"

"Look, I'm not your father but it's plain to see that he cares about you. He is affectionate of you..."

"Affectionate? What about love?"

"He can't just show how much you mean to him any odd time you know. Others would see it as weakness."

"Why are you telling me all this; and why are you defending him?"

"Because no one else will" He pursed his lips. "And because I do not want you to hate him. He is your father and a powerful titan. Do not do anything you will further regret. You made your choice. You are a titan by choice as well as by birth now." I couldn't believe what he was saying. He was _encouraging _me to be one of them? He moved closer towards and I caught my breath when he moved my hair behind my ear with his fingers. "Don't let anyone make you feel ashamed of who or what you are. You are your own individual, not your father." He moved closer to me and I noticed his eyes were dazzling amber.

Then he closed the gap between us and for a moment, every fibre of my being was screaming to be in his embrace. He was mine and I was his. He rained kisses all over my, from my lips to do down my neck. Then I came back to my senses. I remembered that he was a god and I was a demi-titan. I remembered the pain I felt when Apollo betrayed me. But I also remembered the friendship that he and I had shared. Months spent hanging out, or him teaching me things that only he didn't make seem boring. It only now dawned on me that all those times- which I was only just remembering- when he had watched me so intently, he had been gazing at me with such an earnest look of wanting. But now I was getting what I had so desperately wanted in what seemed like another life time, I couldn't handle it.

I tried to reel back but his body was pinned on top of me on the sofa as we lay down together. He opened his eyes and the passion in them was enough to scare me even more than his nightmarish brother. I attempted to slap him but he was too fast. He grabbed my wrist and he pinned it down above my head. I was utterly helpless. What was to follow?

"I'm not going to hurt you" He promised. "I thought that maybe you might remember something if I..." His voice trailed off. I could tell that wasn't the only reason he had all but attacked me.

"Can you get off me now?" My voice was pleading and desperate. I knew that if he tried to kiss me again, I wouldn't be able to control myself. He nodded and sat up, pulling me up with him. "I can't do this Morpheus. _We _can't do this. You have no idea how much I want you. I _really _want you." I was babbling now but I didn't care. "I want you so much it..." I didn't get to finish that sentence because just then, Morpheus regained control, pulling my body closer to his and gave me a passionate kiss. I sat there dumbfounded for a second when he let go. Then he winked at me. I wanted to be mad at him and tear him to pieces but I couldn't.

"I understand. Can we at least be friends then?" He asked. I could tell that it saddened him that we couldn't be anything more for the mean time but he cared about me too much to pressurise me.

"Sure. Friends." Then I hugged him for a while and it felt like the good old days before Camp Half Blood, before public school and before I became a traitor.

"Come on. It's dinner time. We wouldn't want you to starve."

We were joined by Phanatos during dinner, who was another one of Morpheus' brothers. He was a lot nicer than Phobetor though and he practically chocked on his meal when Morpheus told him about the way I'd given their brother a fright.

"That must have been epic. I wish I'd seen it!" He made a gesture to high-five him and who was I to refuse? By the time bedtime came around, the balcony was showing the Eifel Tower in all its splendour. A fresh pair of pyjamas was on my bed but I first wanted to admire the twinkling lights of Paris. I couldn't tell whether I was actually in the City of Love or if it was an illusion but I didn't care. It felt real enough. As I was enjoying myself, a figure appeared from the sky. Eros.

"What are you doing here?" I asked disdainfully.

"To explain a few things to you."

"Like what?" I snapped. Despite this, he remained unperturbed. He stepped closer to me set his jaw.

"When your mother was...attacked"

"Attacked?" It didn't sound like he was telling me everything.

"Raped, she was raped." He looked pained by the fact, ashamed even. "My dad...I don't know. He was drunk."

"You say that as if it's an excuse."

"Well it's not and I'm not going to defend him for what he did. It was wrong, plain and simple."

"Then why didn't you help my mum when she beseeched the gods?"

His face flicked with anguish. "I...he's my dad, Stephanie. Surely you must understand?" I suppose I did.

"But you're a god Eros."

"Yes well... Anyway, after the incident I felt very guilty. I swore of the River Styx that I would watch over her child and do my best to keep them safe."

"But why? Why make such a promise?"

"I was ashamed of myself" He shrugged. "I should have been more careful. Anyway, Rebecca- your mother- never gave birth to the child of Ares as I had presumed. She later met and fell in love with your father and had you. I was in a predicament. My oath did not specify what type of child I was to protect. I had not said I would only protect her child if it be a child of my father also. So I had to protect you." He pulled a smile to show that he had no ill feelings towards me. "But you're going to hate me when I tell you this part" He bit his lip.

"What did you do?"

"It was to protect you. I...I shot you with one of my arrows; Apollo too." He did what? How dare he do such a thing! But now things sort of made sense. I had always wondered how such a god could fall in love with me.

"But why?"

"I needed someone to protect you directly; someone who wouldn't get hit by Zeus' bolt for being affectionate towards Kronos' child, someone like Apollo." I suppose that made sense. Apollo was by far one of Zeus' favourite children.

"So you made me fall in love with Apollo so he could protect me?" Eros nodded. I walked over to my bed, suddenly exhausted, and collapsed. "You are incredulous" I managed. He walked over to me and kneeled by my bed. He had a playful smile on his face that I didn't like very much.

"Do you hate me?" He asked. I sighed.

"No. I don't" He got up and lay down next to me. He got my hair out of my face with his fingers, smiling.

"Are we friends then?"

"Friends" I agreed. This was really strange, being friends with the god of love. "So that day when I kissed you, it was you that made me kiss me right?" Eros laughed as if it was some kind of joke.

"Yes. I had to break the two of you up before things got too serious. Apollo might have..." He trailed off and it got me imagining: a weeping helpless demi-titan on your doorstep. What better to do than make love?

"I understand. Thanks. I never thought I'd have a guardian god." Eros' emerald eyes twinkled with happiness. His fingers were gently stroking my cheek and I was strangely comfortable with it but it was still weird.

"Eros?"

"Mmm?"

"Why are you stroking my cheek?"

"I dunno. It's really soft." He mused. I rolled my eyes.

"I want to sleep now. Get out." I sat up, grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to stop you from dreaming about you new beau. Or is he technically you _old _beau?"

"Get out!" I yelled and threw the pillow at him. It hit him hard in the head and he fell off the bed. Sweet! He got up and passed it over to me. He gave me a light kiss on the cheek and slowly departed. I was left on my bed alone with my pyjamas waiting to be worn. Just as I was about to take off my top, a silvery light shimmered and out stepped Morpheus. I was so tired I threw the pillow at _him. _He raised a brow at me and he swept my feet from under me and I was lying on my bed with him on top.

"So only he can give you a goodnight kiss?"

"How did you...?"

"You forget. This is my kingdom. You are _my _guest." There was something appealing about his possessive tone. Then he gave me a light kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes to savour the moment. Just as I was enjoying myself, I could no longer sense him. I opened my eyes and confirmed my theory. He was gone. I guess he wanted to leave me wanting more. I rolled my eyes at his tactics. If only he knew I was already his...

**Author's Note: So love is in the air once more! Please Review. What do you think of Morpheus so far and of course the relationship between Stephanie and Eros?**


	16. Hunted

**Author's Note: Okay, It's been a while. But I'm really busy these days what with our REAL exam right around the corner. By the way, I've discovered that the correct spelling of Morpheus' brother, the god of fantasies is Phantasos, not Phanatos as I had previously though. Anyway, please enjoy. **

Hunted

'_I am walking around in a never ending field of dead grass. It is dark and I am filled with terror. Where am I and how did I get here? I've been asking myself this question a lot these days. I seem to be walking around in circles. Finally, I see another person._

"_Excuse me, can you help me?" I ask "I seem to be lost" The person turns around and I am surprised to see the most depressed looking face I have ever seen. The woman is wrinkled and her expression seems void of life as if all there is left to do is despair. She looks at me strangely. _

"_No entiendo" She replies._

"_Excuse me?" _

"_No entiendo" Then she walks on, repeating the words in a sing-song. Spanish. She was speaking in Spanish. If only I had paid attention in my Spanish classes. Then I am alone again. I'm cold and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep. _

_Then I hear a sharp shriek. I bolt upright and follow the scream. Yeah, I follow the scream. I know most people would avoid danger when they are in a strange, unfamiliar environment where there are tall grains of wheat like I'm trapped in Kansas. I gasp. I found tall grains of wheat, a lifeless woman and I am in a cold environment. I finally realise where I am and I stop dead in my tracks. Dead. Death... I'm in the Underworld. _

_I hear the shrieks again and this time voices. _

"_A living in the Underworld? Wait till Lord Hades hears of this!" A crow-like voice exclaims. _

"_I don't have time for this. I'm trying to help the gods." I recognise that voice instantly. Mum. I walk slowly to get better hearing. It's far too dangerous to get close enough to see her though. I take the risk anyway. I'm amazed at what I see. A creature has pinned down my mum on the ground by the throat with a claw. The creature has black leathery skin and bat wings. It laughs its raspy laugh. _

"_You, help the gods? That has to be the most amusing thing I've heard all century. But you shall not lie to me, mortal. I know very well that your allegiance is to the Time Lord."_

"_I spit on him" My mum managed. She was having obvious difficulty speaking. She even managed to hack up enough saliva to spit nearby. "He can go to Hades for all I care. I want him dead." I small part of my heart sank. Kronos had done some awful thing recently but did he truly deserver death. He is still my father, after all. _

"_If it were only that simple" The creature mused._

"_Oh but it is." The claw loosened._

"_I'm listening." _

"_You're Alecto, right?" _

"_Yes"_

"_Well, Alecto the Kindly One, I know of a weapon hidden in this realm somewhere that can kill an immortal. If I could...borrow it for a short time to kill the Time Lord, I'm sure your master would be very pleased indeed. Alecto's yellow eyes narrowed. _

"_Or perhaps you are trying to trick me and I should kill you now. That would save you the second visit here." My mum was trying to keep her composure. The gods know what sort of agony she's been through; I guess the prospect of death isn't quite so bad for her. Just as Alecto was about to rip her to shreds, a figure materialised. I only saw the back of the man- if you could call him that. Black wings spanned across his back whilst long robes draped his figure. He stood with confidence as if being around a Fury was of the norm. _

"_Thanatos. It's always a pleasure seeing you" Alecto said. I couldn't tell if she meant it. She seemed to use the same monotone voice. _

"_And you" Then everything goes black and I wake up in a cold sweat._

I sat up quickly, breathing deeply. That was a terrible dream. I rack the corners of my brain so I don't forget it too quickly. Fields of Asphodel in the Underworld, check. Mother attacked by Fury, check. Thanatos appears, possibly to save her, check. Mum looking for a weapon to kill Kronos...Oh My Titans! I don't even know if Thanatos saved her. _'Of course he saved her'_, I thought. He's supposed to be my friend, sort of. But the Underworld was Hades' domain. Surely Thanatos didn't have much power there, or at least not enough to let her escape. I pushed those thoughts at the back of my head and then tried to get some more sleep. Nothing.

I got up and walked to my bathroom, the only door I _was _allowed to open. I grabbed a towel and poured water on my face over the sink and my vision became distorted. I blinked a few times and wiped my face. Staring at myself in the mirror, I saw the tanned blue-eyed girl I'd always known. But she had changed. The smile that used to radiate across my face was gone. I'd been through a lot and it had worn me down. A long dark scar came from the right side of my face, from my ear to the tip of my lips. Part of the scab was still there and I was tempted to pick at it but I knew better. Talk about an abusive ex-boyfriend. I cursed Apollo under my breath. My long black hair fell across my face and back in a mishap. The same long black hair that my mum had always loved and insisted made me look pretty; the same black hair that was the colour of my father's heart. Tears fell down my face. I rummaged through the cabinets in search for something, I wasn't sure what.

When I found it, a smile flickered across my face. I slowly reached for the item and brought it to my hair. _Snip- Snip. _My long black hair was cut.

"What on earth are you doing?" A voice yelled. The scissors fell from my hand and I turned around to see a shocked Eros. I sighed in relief. Then I turned around again to see my reflection. My hair was shoulder length. Not too shabby, seeing as how I had cut it myself.

"Getting a new look." Eros stepped closer and bit his lip. Then he reached out his hand to feel my hair.

"Though your split ends were due for a trim, I think this was a bit extreme." He finally replied. I rolled my eyes and shrugged. I didn't particularly care what he thought.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save your hair."

"Leave it. It's fine."

"Have you _seen _it?" He asked. He grabbed my face with both his hands and made me stare at myself hard in the mirror. So it wasn't great.

"Come on. We have a lot of hard work to do. Then he grabbed me by the hand and forced me into my bedroom, sitting me by my dressing table.

When it was finally breakfast time and I was escorted by a strange girl who claimed to be a dream spirit, Morpheus' fork fell on the table. He had been using it to talk to Phantasos, making hand and fork gestures. His mouth made a small 'o' and all he could do was blink as I casually sat next to him.

"Close your mouth. You'll catch flies." I said, assuming that there were flies in this dream world of his. He did but still kept his eyes transfixed on me. Phantasos was opposite me and his violet eyes flitted between us to see our reactions. A wide grin was plastered across his pale face.

"Nice hair" Phantasos finally said to break the silence.

"Thanks" I gave him a smile. I turned back to the ever silent Morpheus. Eros had done a good job to save my hair. He had cut it short and sleek. It made me look edgier and the makeup tips he'd given me helped too.

"You look ravishing" He finally commented. I blushed against my will. His eyes showed such passion I became mesmerised by them. They shifted from green to a bright pink. I almost thought I was hallucinating. Then he blinked and they were amber. _Strange- e_ven for him.

"I had a dream about my mum." I finally said once I'd been served. Whatever was on my plate looked very foreign but strangely I thought it looked appetising. But after I let those words slip, I wasn't sure I could eat. I did anyway. I'd need the strength.

"I know" Morpheus replied. I looked up from my plate.

"How?"

"Steph, he's _Oneiros, _the head of the Oneiroi whenever Dad decides to take his extended nap." Phantasos replied.

"Meaning...?"

"I'm the head of the council of dreams" Morpheus finally answered.

"Council?" Phantasos questioned with a raised brow. "Since when were we democratic? If I recall, Father decided one day that he wanted to sleep without being disturbed so appointed you head. There was no vote, just his choice."

"I was trying to explain it in terms Stephanie would understand. The point is I'm the god of dreams. No dream is made that I am unaware of."

"Right" I continued "Well, in my dream my mum was in the Underworld..." My eyes prickled, threateningly. "And a Kindly One...and Thanatos." I couldn't even make whole sentences. Tears cascaded down my face in a seemingly endless flow. That's all I seemed to be good for recently- crying. My vision was blurred but my ears heard the scraping of Morpheus' chair as he got up to stand by me. I looked to see for Phantasos' reaction but he was already gone. Perhaps he was uncomfortable about the situation or maybe he wanted to give me space.

"I know" Morpheus whispered. But he didn't make empty promises. He didn't tell me everything would be okay and soon I'd be hugging my mum.

He didn't promise me that I'd rebuild my relationship with my father and I'd be accepted by the gods. We both knew I couldn't have it both ways. No lies, no empty promises. And I respected him for it. Instead, he lifted me up for a hug. I felt safe in his strong arms. His thumb brushed away my tears and he looked at me earnestly, as if to ask me a question. But I was tired of his formal ways.

"Just kiss me" And he did. His soft, sweet lips crushed tenderly against mine as my hand roamed up his shirt. I felt his lips break into a slight smile at my adventurous nature. Shortly after, sparks of pleasure ignited in me as he pulled me closer to him by the hips. We moved together in a synchronized motion. "Why did you have to wait for my consent?" I asked between lavish kisses.

"I didn't want to come across as too...forward"

"You mean a _perv_" He smiled at how blunt I was being. "You had no problem with that last night." His face actually _reddened _at my comment. I laughed as he tried to defend himself.

"I always forget myself when I'm around you, though I do still try to act like a gentleman."

"Didn't you get the memo? I'm a bad girl now."

"Even bad girls need to be treated with respect."

We continued to kiss for a while until a voice interrupted.

"Stephanie, Morpheus!" Thanatos exclaimed. I pushed Morpheus away in embarrassment. Thanatos stood tall with his large wings extended. His face was stern and he definitely meant business. "We need to get her out of here."

"Why, what's going on?" I asked.

"They know she is here. They're at the gates. Phobetor's creatures won't be able to hold them off long." Morpheus' eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"Who's here?" I yelled.

"Ares and Eris, War and Discord" Thanatos answered. "If they catch you, they will kill you."

"But this is Morpheus' kingdom. They can't just-"

"Yes they can."

"But..."

"I won't be able to stop them. Otherwise they will think I'm working with the Titans. Again"

So I was being thrown out. Just _great. _

"I don't want to leave."

"And I don't want you to leave but it'll be for the best. Go back to the Titans. You will be safe. And please promise me you'll do your best not to get killed."

"Sure thing"

He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and then stood back, his arm outstretched.

"When will I see you again?" I had to know.

"I will always be in your dreams and I promise to watch over you."

He then concentrated hard on whatever he was trying to achieve and as I waved goodbye, I heard a smash from afar.

"They're here" Thanatos murmured. Then I was gone. I stood in the middle of a park in the middle of the night. Trees swayed to the whistling of the wind. An arched bridge was in front of me and the whole scenery with the twinkling lights would have looked nice if not for the distant voices. "She's over here, the dog doesn't lie" Now whilst they could have been talking about any other demi-titan on the run, I doubted it. I ran for it, just before an arrow impaled itself to the tree I had been standing by. I looked at it momentarily. It was silver. Crap. I got out my own weapon in case I was to be stopped and continued running. I came to a halt when a figure stepped out from the darkness.

"Stephanie. It's been a while." It was Christina's voice. She had a sword in hand and she looked willing to use it.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"We're here to capture you" Then she lunged at me. I parried just in time. I know I had betrayed her but deep inside I knew I couldn't really hurt her. But I knew my life would depend on it because two other figures came too. I recognised Annabeth almost instantly but the other girl was unfamiliar. She wore a silver circlet and she had the whole punk thing going for her. I knew she was not the type to mess with even before she zapped me with electricity. How was I to survive the wrath of this terrible trio?

**Author's Note: Yeah, life never gets any easier for Stephanie, does it? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	17. Friends Forever?

**Author's Note: ****I know it's been a while since I last updated and I must sincerely apologise. My excuse: I was abducted by Zephyr, who had been ordered to do so because apparently Zeus has been taking a liking to me and Hera will not have it. I did wonder why that bird was stalking me...**

**Anyway, back to Stephanie!**

Friends Forever?

'Just _great'_, l thought to myself. Was it too much to ask for once not to have a fight wherever l went? But I had no choice in the matter. I never did these days. This was so not what I needed. A vengeful Athena kid with two Zeus spawns for help. There was no denying the Goth kid's parentage. I was sprawled across the grass staring at the sky for a split second before another immeasurable amount of electricity came my way. I froze time for what felt like a second before I rolled away. I stood up and painfully walked up to the Goth girl. I hit the live time button (metaphorically speaking, of course). Then I punched her hard in the stomach. She reeled back in pain and before Christina could hit me with lightning, I jumped out of the way. The Goth girl unfortunately redirected it and she shot it up in the sky.

I was breathing fairly heavily, having not anticipated such an attack. Still, better three demi-gods than two hell bent gods full of wrath.

"Why didn't you just hit me with the lightning when my back was turned?" I asked the Goth.

"I don't like an easy win" I smiled at this.

"Well you certainly won't be getting that from me."

"Before I burn you into a crisp, can I ask you, _why?_"

"Why, what?"

"Why would you allow such a horrible fate happen to Percy, a guy who had only ever tried to help you?" Annabeth elaborated.

"It wasn't like that and I'm sick of having to defend myself. I'm the daughter of the most powerful Titan. What did you expect?" I asked.

"For you _not _to be such a bitch" Goth girl replied.

"Look, I've been through hell too. My own _father _turned me into a tree! And I had to fight the guy who I once called friend. Now he's dead. And it's _your _father's fault. But you don't see me killing innocent people." She argued. A tree? I'd heard of her!

"So you're the legendary Thalia? I should have known, what with you being a Zeus kid."

"Okay enough talk." Annabeth stated. "Can we just capture her and leave?" Thalia nodded and lifted her sword.

"Fine, if this is how it has to be." Thalia ran up to me and I parried as she attempted a strike. She occasionally used her shield to protect herself as I lunged with my scythe at her. I was aggressive and merciless with my technique and I soon had her sword in my own hand. As I stood over her, she used her shield in a futile attempt to protect herself. The gruesome head of Medusa had almost no affect on me. At first I was in pure revulsion, but as the sensation dissipated, a sly smile lighted up my face in a way I imagine must have been rather scary. I stopped time and yanked the shield away from Thalia and heard Christina gasp in shock a few feet away from me. I had my scythe at her neck when I felt a tingle creep up my neck.

I immediately knew something was wrong and instinctively stopped time. I turned around and just in front of my was an arrow, aimed at my shoulder. It would have been non-lethal but enough to badly injure me. That's all they would have needed to gain the upper hand and capture me. Annabeth stood some way away in the direction the arrow had come. She seemed to be in deep concentration and her face was literally carved in stone, that's how mad she was. My mischievous side wanted to draw a moustache on her, something I had wanted to do since I found out about my powers. My serious side mentally slapped my mischievous side. I instead put a foot on Thalia chest and literally plucked the arrow from the sky. When I resumed back time, Annabeth stone cold face began to break out into a smile but as she saw the arrow in my hand, it quickly crumbled.

"How the _Hades?" _She yelled. I gave her a superiority smirk.

"Give it up, demigods. Your mission will be fruitless and I don't want to have to hurt you. " I warned. Thalia scoffed at that. Then, Christina stepped forward.

"What about a duel?" She offered. "You and I? If you win, you come with us."

"And If I win?" I interjected.

"We leave you alone." Annabeth shot her an annoyed look.

"There are still two of us left. We can take her on." Annabeth argued.

"And I can just as easily behead Thalia" I warned.

"You wouldn't" I really wasn't sure I could but I could at least bluff it.

"I bet you I would" Tension rose.

"Fine, but I want you to swear on the river Styx to abide by the rules Christina set out."

"I swear" I agreed. Lightning flashed nearby and I knew that we would suffer the consequences if we didn't abide by our oaths. I had tossed Thalia's shield aside and I contemplated whether I wished to use it. Then I figured I would want more flexibility to dodge and moved the thought aside. Typical of a flashy Zeus kid, Christina ran to strike at me. I stood there, waiting with no expression on my face. We lunged at each other with our weapons and parried. Neither of us had the upper hand but I could see the fear in her eyes. Then we deadlocked. She was strong but stubborn. I swept at her legs with my own and she was on the grass before I knew it. She had managed to keep a hold of her sword though and slashed at my leg when I approached. I winced in pain but did not cry out. This gave her enough time to roll away though and get up on her feet.

She faced me again but this time, as she approached, she was more cautious.

"We were meant to be best friends, not worst enemies." She said, shaking her head. "I wish we could go back to that." And the truth was: so did I.

"Well that's great, but back to reality. I'm the daughter of Kronos. You're the daughter of Zeus. We were destined to be enemies."

"It doesn't have to be that way" She urged. "_Two foes by parentage must unite_" I raised my eyebrows at her. "Yeah, I thought you might recognise that line. Apollo gave me a special prophecy. He says that our fates are closely tied."

"Apollo is an _asshole!_" I yelled. Then against my better judgement, I lunged my scythe at her. She hadn't seen it coming and she hadn't been wearing armour. She placed a hand on her chest and saw blood.

"I know what he did to you." She said through gritted teeth. She was in pain and I could tell it was getting harder for her to keep an even temper. "He told me everything. You don't have to take it out on me." I froze in my tracks when her message hit home and I realised just how much I had hurt her from the look in her eyes. "You're my friend, Stephanie. And friends stick together, no matter what. I don't want to end up like Thalia and Luke. Please..." At this, a tear actually came down my face. This was my friend, my _best _friend. How could I treat her like this? Was I actually turning into my father? Then, I actually dropped my scythe and walked up to her. A walk turned into a jog and soon I was hugging her. She dropped her sword too.

I didn't really care that her blood was staining my top. I was just happy to be finally embracing her again. Before I knew I was a demi-titan, I wasn't exactly Miss Popular. But at least I had had a good friend; The kind who was honest with me, but was also great fun; The kind who was always there when I was down but tended to distract me from my school work. After that, I had no one; No one but a manipulative father who only truly cared about himself. But perhaps I was going to have a second chance at friendship.

"Can you please trust me on this one then?" She whispered. Then I felt that tingle of danger creep up my neck again. I felt a dagger by my waist. I somehow cracked a smile. I was kind of proud of her, yet a deep sense of betrayal hit me.

"Christina?" I asked.

"Steph, it's for the best." Then the cold knife dug into my side. I pushed Christina away buckling slightly from the pain of such an exhaustive task. I tried to stop time again and for a few moments, everything stopped. But I felt the remaining pockets of energy left in me dwindle. I gasped in pain as everything came back to live time. I felt disorientated and was soon on my knees. Christina cautiously approached me, wielding her sword once more. I lifted my hand towards my own scythe. As I concentrated, it slowly began to rise. Christina's eyes widened at my power but I could not sustain it any longer. My weapon dropped to the ground again.

"You really had me fooled there." I said between shallow breaths. "Friends stick together, eh?" I laughed, and then grimaced from the pain. So this was how it was to be. I had lost and now I had no choice but to go back to Camp Half-Blood where I was one of their most hated enemies. If the gods had it their way, perhaps I would be killed.

"Just trust me, would you?" She urged. Then I heard a voice in my head.

'_She has a dagger at your waist. Do you really think that trusting her is wise?' _Kronos asked. I really wasn't sure at that moment. Who could I truly trust? The so called friend who was wielding a weapon so very close to me, or my father? _'Do not despair, daughter. Help is always at hand' _Kronos... but how? All of a sudden, I was no longer in control. I rose from my spot and new energy filled me. My scythe quickly returned to my hand and Christina and I were duelling once more. Thalia and Annabeth had been smiling up until this moment. Now they were more than worried. Soon Christina's sword flew away from her hand when I disarmed her. She gasped in shock.

"Your eyes...they're gold" But I couldn't reply. I wasn't in control of myself. I was merely watching the events in front of me.

"I'd like to formerly thank you." A deep voice emitted from my mouth; the voice of Kronos. "I was afraid Stephanie might actually attempt to betray me. You've shown her first hand that even friends cannot be trusted." And he was right. Before I knew it, Christina was on the ground, with my knee on her stomach and my scythe at her throat. Something told me he was actually willing to do it, kill Christina. _'I'm cruel, I'll give you that.' _He said in my head. _'But I know she means something to you so I'll leave her alive. If you change your mind however...' _

'_Don't even think about it' _I snapped.

'_Can't blame a Titan for trying' _

"I believe I've won. And when Stephanie leaves, don't follow her. And stay out of my daughter's life." After that, my father's presence left. I was myself again. I got off Christina and stood. My body had mostly healed but I still felt sore. I looked back at Christina and saw the fear in her eyes. She had been my best friend. Then I walked away. _'Two foes by parentage must unite...' _Well the prophecy couldn't be referring to the two of us because there was no chance of _that _happening.

By the time I had left the park, I realised I had no idea where I was. Just great. I'd been kicked out from the only Haven I had, I'd been attacked by three demi-gods (one of them once a close friend) and now I was lost. I walked down a street and saw people walk by. A little girl with an ice-cream cone holding her dad's hand. A group of teenage friends gossiping with one another. Just another reminder of the things I would never experience again. As I continued on feeling sorry for myself, a car came from the opposite direction.

"Need a ride?" The driver asked. She looked young with sun kissed skin. She wore big black glasses and her long blonde hair covered most of her face. I walked by without a second thought. She followed me at snail pace. "Seriously Stephanie, get in." My eyes widened. How did he know my name? I looked at her more intently. How had I not seen it earlier? Hannah! I got in the passenger seat and smiled, knowing that at least someone had my back.

"Thanks. And sorry, I didn't recognise you."

"Good. These bug-eyed specs are of some use after all. Where have you been anyway? We've been trying to track you for days."

"I, uh..." I didn't really want to tell her about my time in the Dream World though I guess no harm could come of it. "I was in the dream world"

"You mean Morpheus' dream world?"

"Yup"

"In the Underworld?" I knitted my eyebrows at that question.

"I don't know where it is but it can't be in the Underworld"

"It's separate from the Underworld, sort of. The one part of it that Hades has no power over. To think that you were so close to his domain."

To think I was so close to my mother...

**Author's Note: I will do my best to update soon but please do not hold me to that. Not like I swore on the River Styx or anything :D**


	18. The Visitor

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoy the new chappie! REVIEW!**

The Visitor

I had always known that Hannah was older than me but it was only when I mentally tuned in to her age that I realised she was physically eighteen. Being the daughter of the Time Lord, I could do that sort of stuff. Still, she was technically only a few days older than me. You see, the Titans sped up the aging process of their demi-titan children, anticipating a war to arise some time shortly after the previous one had ended in their demise. But as Hannah drove us back to camp I didn't mention any of this. The silence was eerie and inevitably my thoughts drifted to the chain of events that had led to this moment. On my fifteenth birthday, had you told me that I would end up gaining and losing a not only immortal boyfriend, but one that is also a Greek god, lost my mother, my best friend and ultimately changed this much as a person in only a matter of a few weeks...I wouldn't have believed you! I used to be happier. Now I was just a depressing, miserable person.

"I realise that this whole thing must be really hard on you" Hannah said, cutting through my thoughts. "I'm sorry about...well everything. But realise you don't have to go through it alone. I know you don't know me well or anything, but I'm here if you need me." She flashed me her stunningly white teeth.

"Thanks" I muttered. It was nice of her to try to spread some happiness and reassurance but I wasn't sure that would help much.

"You know, you're not the only one who has been through tough times. I lost my mum a few months ago. I know how you must be feeling." And here I was thinking that she didn't truly understand how I felt.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

"Oh, she was tortured by some monster that was sent to find out the location of our camp and my whereabouts." Her honey filled eyes glittered with the threat of tears. "But she was strong. She didn't tell it anything. You see, they made her send an Iris message so that I could watch. I could have saved her. I can travel at the speed of light but all I did was watch. But she loved me and she didn't want me to. She knew the monster was too strong for me. I hadn't been educated enough to have been able to take it on, that I know now. I used to beat myself up about letting her die and I still do somewhat."

"I'm so sorry. That must have been terrible." It's only as the words come out that I realise how utterly pointless it was, saying them. Apologising for the loss of her mother and stating the obvious about the scenario won't make things better. It won't bring her back.

"It's okay. The experience made me stronger. It helped me realise that things such as relationships shouldn't be taken lightly. If you love someone, be there for them for as long as they are around. You never know when a twist of fate could snatch them away." I wondered if she was referring to my own mother. I still felt guilty about the way I had just let her go like that. How was I to know that she would end up travelling to the Underworld? Or perhaps I should have trusted Christina. Maybe she had had a plan after all. I guess I'll never know now.

It took me a while to realise I had no idea where we were going. I mean, I knew we were heading back to camp but I had never actually known _where _the camp was.

"Um, Hannah...where are we going?" I finally asked.

"Camp of course, though it's been moved. Again."

"Where was in before?"

"Long Island"

"Isn't that where Camp Half-Blood is?"

"Yes. Prometheus thought it would be the most unexpected place to situate the camp so we moved there about a month ago."

"So why are we all moving again?"

"We are moving to Mount Othrys in San Francisco. In mythology it was basically the Titan equivalent of Mount Olympus, just scarier looking. A _lot _scarier looking." She replied. That still didn't answer my question. "Your father thinks we'll be safer there. It's a strong fortress and it's exactly what we all need when the war begins." I wasn't looking forward to that. It was a long drive to Mount Tamalpais in San Francisco and it was very dark by the time we got there. True to Hannah's description, Mount Othrys was very frightening. Its spires rose high up in the sky. It was gothic in its style, complete with beasts of all kinds as decor. When we got through the gates, we went through winding paths in what appeared to be a woodland area.

"How can all of this be up here? I thought we were going to enter the fortress already."

"Camp Half-Blood isn't the only place that can use the Mist to their advantage." Hannah replied. "You will find that there is much more space up here than you would have initially thought possible." We finally came to a car parking area. We got out and we were hit by the freezing cold air. I followed Hannah as she seemed to know the way.

"Where are we going?"

"The Mess Hall. Dinner should be about now and I'm starving." I was hungry too but I was also a bit hesitant about seeing my father. I mean, okay, he had been there for me when I had been in need of help. He had saved me from being captured. And I was grateful for it and everything, but I'm not sure I could forgive him for what he had done to my mother. When we approached a building, Hanna opened one of the double doors and I followed. A number of people looked up our way and raised their eyebrows at me in surprise but generally they moved on with their lives. I guess an AWOL daughter of Kronos was none of their concern.

In contrast, a few people seemed to be happy that Hannah dad arrived safely. The whole Hyperion table were practically ablaze.

"We're glad you made it back in one piece, sis" A golden haired guy cheered.

"Of course you wouldn't, because then _you_ would be the cabin leader."

"Well... there is that _slight _advantage." He grinned. Hannah pushed him in that friendly way I remembered Christina and I used to. After a few shoves each, they hugged.

"I want a hug too!" A girl yelled. "Don't be selfish Mark!" The girl leapt up on them.

After realising how uncomfortable I looked, Hannah parted ways with them and we went to stand in line for our food. The Mess Hall was similar to the canteen of my old school. The difference was, instead of old lunch ladies, we had dracaenae. No one would dare want to complain to them. Once we had our food, I made my move to part ways.

"Why don't you come sit with us?"

"But that's the Hyperion table"

"So?"

"Hello? I'm Kronos' kid. Isn't that like against the rule?"

"No. This isn't Camp Half-Blood, Steph. Look around. You can change table is you want." And she was right. Tall and muscular kids sat on the same tables as lean brunettes with blue eyes.

"Atlas and Oceanus got along surprisingly well." Hannah commented. So that was settled. I joined Hannah on her table, with her on my right and Mark on my left. I sat in silence eating my food for quite some time, happy to do so until my anti-social behaviour was called into question.

"Come on, crooked kid. You can't just crash at our table and not utter a single word."

"Good evening" Then I took a bite of my apple crumble.

"Come on. Tell us why you bailed." I stiffened at that and Hanna gave him _'the look'. _He either didn't get the message or didn't care because he persisted.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes" I said bluntly.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No"

"So where have you been all this time?"

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing, just curious"

"Surely-"

"Mark, would you just drop it!" Hannah intersected. "If Stephanie doesn't want to tell you, then let her be." I was about to thank her when someone tapped me from behind.

I turned around to see Zack. It was nice seeing another familiar face and I smiled.

"Hey"

"Hey. It's been a while. Glad to see you're safe."

"Not a single missing limb." His dark eyes lit up as he laughed. When he was done, they steeled up.

"Your father wants to see you." I looked around but the Titan table only had two people there. There was a rather attractive titan with shoulder length dark hair. He sat opposite a Titaness with long flowing chestnut hair. She smiled at me and the Titan seemed to notice she wasn't paying attention to him anymore and looked my way. He gave me a lopsided smile and a wink.

"Um, who is that?" I asked.

"Oh, that's Mnemosyne and Astraios."

"Who?"

"Look, I can't explain yet. Your father is waiting and he is not the kind of guy to be kept waiting." I couldn't dispute wish him there.

He escorted me to wherever it was my dad was. We went into the kitchen and a number of dracaenae looked at us but didn't question anything. We went through a white door, up a flight of stairs. This part of the building looked and felt more ancient. The stairs were made of stone, as were the walls. It was very dark, save for the few candles. When we reached the top, Zack knocked on an iron door.

"Enter" A thunderous voice ordered. Yup, that sounded like my dad. We promptly did so. Inside, the first thing I noticed was my father sat on a throne. It felt warmer in here. Then I saw a fireplace. It reminded me of a nice girl at camp I had seen. I hadn't spoken to her but I had known who she was. Hestia, Goddess of the hearth and home. It had seen so insignificant that I had simply brushed the memory aside. Seeing a fireplace in such a dingy room as this however, reminded me that this place would be my new home. And a home without my mother wasn't something I wanted.

My father was wearing smart-casual attire with a light blue shirt and a pair of jeans. Zack kneeled before my father.

"Rise. You may leave." Kronos said. Zack gave me a quick smile before he left. I noticed then that there were armoured dracaenae surrounding the throne room. Prometheus stood by Kronos' throne in his usual black suit. He seemed to be annoyed about having to stand up whilst Hecate got to sit next to my father on a slightly smaller throne. She gave me a superior smirk when she saw my narrowed eyes. I really wanted to do some serious damage to her. "Kneel, daughter." I almost laughed at his demand. Who did he think I was? My eyebrows were raised in surprise. "Don't make me say it again." Prometheus looked at me with wide eyes, indicating to me to kneel.

"No", was my simple response. Kronos raised his own eyebrow, or technically, Percy's.

"Excuse me, was that a 'no'?" I simply nodded, stone faced. This is when he finally decided to stand up. The dracaenae seemed to be on edge. So was I. Though he was my father, I knew that he was a million times more powerful than me. He was thousands years old and there was no telling what he would do. If he had swallowed his godling children, what would he do to punish his demi-titan daughter? "I'll give you one last chance. Kneel!" He roared. Though he successfully managed to startle me, I stood by my ground.

"No" He simply nodded curtly. He turned around as if to head back to his throne. Then he suddenly unsheathed backbiter. It quickly turned into its scythe form and I reacted quickly, slowing down time so I could grab my own scythe to defend myself. Everything went back to live time and my scythe met his with a loud clang. Instead of attempting another strike, he tried to push the scythe further down until I could no longer endure the pain. His golden eyes were molten, perhaps with anger. My arms were burning with pain. In that moment, I felt a lot of negative emotions. Anger, fear, hatred, they were all searing inside of me. Before long, my right leg gave way and whether I liked it or not, I was beginning to kneel. "No..." I groaned. Behind Kronos, I saw a smiling Hecate. That was the last straw. I stood up and as I did, all the sweltering emotions rose up inside of me and the next thing I knew, Kronos was thrown across the room and sunk into his throne.

I was just as surprised as everyone else. Had _I _done that? An apology had started to form in my mouth but before I got to do so, Kronos started _laughing! _He clapped as he did so as if he had been watching a comedy show, and not about to rip his daughter's soul out.

"What can I say? I'm impressed. I knew you had it in you." I simply blinked.

"I don't understand." He rose from his throne and walked up to me. He put a hand on my shoulder and actually smiled at me.

"You may just make a good lieutenant after all, providing that you don't run away again." And believe it or not, I was relieved. I thought he may slap me or something. "Stephanie, I'm sorry about what happened with your mum and all that but you need to understand that..." Before he could finish his sentence, the door was slammed open as a couple of dracaenae were hurtled through. "What is the meaning of this?" Kronos exclaimed. A woman approached, stepping gracefully over the unconscious dracaenae. She had luscious long red hair and emerald eyes. She wore an elegant green dress to match that hit all the right curves. Who was she?

"Rhea? What are you doing here?" Kronos asked. Hecate's face was just as alarmed as his, though had none of the signs of longing on it.

"Good evening Kronos"


	19. You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me

You haven't seen the last of me

**Author's Note: Well, I've been really busy with exams. It's taken me forever to write this, what with writer's block and revising. I hope you enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW!**

The dracaenae were in a fighting stance with their weapons drawn, awaiting orders to attack. Behind Rhea, I heard deep growling. Two ferocious golden lions entered, their golden eyes showed they meant business.

"No. Stand down." Kronos ordered. The dracaenae obeyed. "Rhea. It's been quite some time." He said bluntly. But his eyes gave him away. I could see the raw hurt and anguish in them. It seemed that Rhea could too, and she looked away and instead gazed at me for a moment.

"Ah, so this is the infamous Stephanie Martin."

"What business have you here, Rhea?"

"I wish to speak to you about this foolish war you wish to begin." Kronos' jaw clenched at that.

"Leave us" He commanded. The dracaenae left the throne room in single file lines through doors I had not seen earlier. Prometheus was next to follow after a polite nod. Hecate lingered on her throne, calculating whether it would be wise to stay, yet knowing she didn't take orders like some dog from its master. "Hecate, darling, please let us to talk in private."

At this, she arose in her long flowing dress. She slowly walked up to my father and grabbing his shirt, leaned in for a deep kiss. I, myself gaped at this sight but Rhea seemed impassive. It was as if Hecate was reminding Kronos that he was hers and warning Rhea to back off. But if memory served, Kronos was _married _to Rhea. I wondered if they had divorced after the first Great War. Could Titans and gods even divorce? After one more tantalising peck, Hecate left. You have no idea how much I wanted to hurt her in that moment. She had driven my mother out and even now, as Kronos' rightful wife stood here, she had the nerve to kiss him. She made me sick. Kronos looked as stone-faced as ever now. His eyes gave nothing away anymore. He didn't even look at me as he politely asked me to also leave.

I was relieved to be dismissed and headed for the closest door.

"No, she may stay."

"You have no say here, Rhea. The girl leaves." _The girl? _This so called _girl, happened _to be his _daughter!_. And she had a name. I stood there, holding down the horrible remark I had prepared.

"Why don't we ask her what she prefers?" Oh great, I was being put on the spot. I weighed out my options. If I stayed, I'd anger Kronos and get to hear what they were discussing. If I left, I'd probably annoy Rhea because it was clear that she wanted me to stay.

"I'll stay thanks."

"Fine!" Kronos growled. "What do you wish to discuss?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You and I have a lot of history. I still care about you, whether I actively show it or not. You are still my husband and I am still your wife and as such, I feel it is my responsibility to tell you that I do not think it is wise to go to war again."

"You made your choice Rhea. You betrayed me and you led me to my demise. I will never forgive you."

"And how do you think I felt?" Rhea raised her voice. "Every child I bore, you swallowed whole! All I wanted was to have a semi-normal family but you were so consumed in your vision to have all the power, you were willing to ignore _my _feelings."

"Gods, here we go again." Kronos rolled his eyes, turned around and sunk his head into his hand.

"Look at me when I am talking to you." Goodness, they sounded like an old married couple. Or right, they were. They had been married for two, maybe _three thousand years!_ Why couldn't they at least attempt to get along? "Those thousands of years ago before and during the first Great War, you put your own feelings before those of everyone else. You promised me an eternity of happiness. You promised to shower me with love. You not only broke your promise, thereby breaking my heart, but you later sought to destroy the lives of many demi-gods. Now you wish to manipulate these innocent demi-titans."

"No. I seek to help them, just as I tried to help those unappreciated demi-gods."

"Don't give me that nonsense, Kronos. You and I both know that you only told them that to get them on your side, thereby making you stronger. Without those demi-gods, you would not have come that close to winning." It was then that Kronos turned to face her once more. He looked at me for a moment, and then returned his attention to his wife. "So this is your plan. You seek to demonise me by listing my wrongdoings in front of my daughter. I see." He nodded. "Tell me Stephanie, what do you think of me right now?"

I was taken completely by surprise. I had got used to watching them, despite how awkward it still felt. What was I to say?

"Speak your mind, girl." Rhea prompted.

"I...I don't like what I'm hearing. A father is meant to be a good role model. He is meant to lead a good example. Quite frankly, Kronos, you're not. You've done a lot of horrible things." Kronos looked unfazed. He seemed to take it on the chin and simply shrugged.

"I do what I must."

"You're selfish. You don't seem to care who you hurt, be it my mother or your own wife. But..." At this, they both looked interested. "You're my father nonetheless. You look out for me even when I don't want you around. You care about me and I'm almost certain that I might just be more than a tool to get the upper hand of the demi-gods.

"Well, I'm glad that you are not a complete bastard." Rhea remarked. Kronos and I were both shocked at this.

"What did you call me?"

"A bastard"

"So much for the Rhea who didn't like to be mouthy." She simply shrugged.

"Times have changed. Kronos, this is your last chance. Stand down and dismantle your army or face the wrath of the gods.

"I do not fear my children. I will not yield!"

"Then so be it; your fate is sealed. And so is hers." Rhea looked upset to say the least. One of her lions picked up on this and tried to comfort her. She stroked it lovingly. "Goodbye" And with that, she was gone. When she and her lions had left, Kronos was merely a shadow of his former self. He looked like a broken man. He slowly walked to his throne and sat there with a vacant expression. His face was a mask, the single thing that hid his true emotions. Even his eyes did not glow as brightly. I walked up to him carefully, afraid to make any sudden movements.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He simply shook his head. "Look I know you don't want to but perhaps-"

"I do _not _wish to talk about it!" He boomed. Silence. I slowly exhaled, realising for the first time that I had been holding my breath.

"I'm only trying to help you! I'm the only person in this entire gothic castle that gives a crap about you and you're pushing me away. Do you know how that makes me feel? Do you even care?" I'm annoyed to say, I began crying. I just about managed to see Kronos' mask disappear. He looked genuinely worried and remorseful. He quickly walked up to me and held me in his embrace.

"No! Get off me!" I began punching him.

"It seems that the apple does not fall too far from the tree. You are doing just as you accused me of doing." He pulled me tighter and I soon gave up and let him hug me. This was the most dysfunctional family ever. I mean, he ate his kids for goodness sake. And Kronos had been the one to send his father, Ouranos, running off after he'd cut off his...private area. I really don't like that word. I can go on about how strange it is for me to be in my position, but the truth is, nobody will ever truly understand. I was sobbing there for quite a while before three unexpected words came from his lips. "I love you". I shook my head in disbelief. It was just so strange to hear. Was he being truthful or was he only saying it because he thought it was something I wanted to hear? He cupped my face in his hands. "I love you Stephanie. I'm sorry I've hurt you. I'm sorry I reeled out at you like that."

"It's okay dad."

"No it's not, Stephanie. I shouldn't treat you like that. I'm a terrible father. Rhea is certainly right about that much."

"Dad. I'm going to be honest. You're selfish. You're a murderer and a destroyer. But best of all, you would tear anyone who didn't treat me right to shreds. And maybe, just maybe, you would save me even if it meant you couldn't save yourself."

"I don't know, Steph. I really like the idea of ruling the world. And maybe I can get you out of the Underworld."

"DAD!"

"I'm just kidding. You know I wouldn't. I would always choose you first." And the thing is, there was sincerity in this promise.

"You told me you loved me. Tell me again."

"I love you" He smiled. So it was true. He loved me. My. Dad. Loved. Me.

I left that room feeling genuinely happy. I hadn't felt this whole in a long time. Don't get me wrong, being with Morpheus made me feel happy but even when I was in his palace the other day, there was a small hole. It just might be healing now.

After leaving the building, I saw my cousins by a big fire.

"Hey, Steph!" Mark called out. "Want a marshmallow?"

"I'm okay, thanks. I'm going to bed now. It was a long drive." He nodded in understanding.

"See you in the morning." After walking for a while, I realised I had no idea where I was going. I walked into a random room and found a library.

"Does anyone know...?" I was shushed by a group huddled together in a corner. I rolled my eyes, and turned around, bumping into a stranger. "Oh, I'm sorry." I looked up to see a guy with copper hair. His eyes were literally twinkling.

"It's okay. I was told you might need assistance?"

"Oh, yes. I don't know where my room is."

"Follow me." He didn't wait to see whether I was actually following and led the way. He walked briskly with an air of confidence. I did my best to match his strides.

We walked through what seemed to be a maze. I did my best to try to remember where we were going, mentally noting down rooms. We walked outside into the dead of night and I noticed that he seemed to be shimmering.

"Oh my gosh, you look like a glow-worm." He stopped abruptly and slowly turned around. He looked puzzled and I wasn't sure if he was going to laugh out loud or send me to Hades.

"a _glow-worm?" _

"Yeah, well, it was the first thing that came to mind."

"A glow-worm. Mmm... I am Astraios, titan of dusk and stars, son of Crius."

"Astraios? But I saw you earlier with someone else. Your hair was darker. You're redhead now."

"Your perception is strong. Yes, well that is my natural form." He began walking again and I followed.

"But I thought that if mortals or half-bloods were to see a god's true form, they would die."

"You were always different from most." We walked on to an isolated building. The door had the symbol of a scythe. It looked fairly modern. "This is where I say goodnight, so...goodnight."

"Goodnight" I replied. He gave me a key and I opened the door.

"I'm 'home'!" I mentally used air quotes. I don't know why I bothered declaring my entrance. No one would be here.

I looked around to see what the house was like. I had my own living space, two bedrooms for some strange reason, a kitchen with a fully stocked fridge and a bathroom. I hadn't actually checked out any of the bedrooms, only having to pop my head in to see what room it was. Inevitably, however, I had to sleep. I went into one room and found a suitcase there. I opened it but I noticed that all the clothes weren't my style and were too big. The room was fairly plain and the double bed had black and white patterns that were painful to look at for too long. I went to the other room and again found another suitcase. This one had the clothes that I thought I had abandoned. Floral skirts that I would no longer find use in and dazzling jewellery were the first things I noticed. Those floral patterns had once shown what I thought of all the opportunities I had. But now they were bleak. Needless to say, I wasn't the same girl I used to be.

"Hey there" I quickly went into defence mode, sweeping the person with my legs. "Oow, that was certainly uncalled for." When I realised that the woman had meant no harm, I felt bad for attacking.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay; I shouldn't have sneaked up on you like that." She said, bringing herself up to her feet. She stood a head taller than me. "I am Mnemosyne, Titaness of memory, and also your aunt." My eyebrows rose. It only dawned on me then how many gods I knew and yet how few goddesses and Titaness' I knew.

"Aunt, huh? Cool. May I ask you what you're doing here though?"

"I'm here to keep you company of course. I have my own room and everything."

"In a house with Kronos' symbol? You guys aren't too big on rules I guess."

"We don't squabble as much as the gods. We know that if we don't work together, we fail together."

"Oh"

She took a seat on my bed.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure"

"How do you pronounce your name?"

"Mnee-mo-see-nee" I was tempted to just call her Nemo.

"Okay. You have an interesting name."

"Thanks. So what's the deal with you and Morpheus?" I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at this.

"What? But how could you...?"

"I'm the Titaness of memories. I can see him in yours." Talk about invading privacy. "So do you love him?"

"If you can see my memories, than surely you would know the answer to that question."

"I want to hear it from you."

"Alright" I sighed "I do. But it strange you know. I started remembering things about our history but parts of it are foggy."

"Say no more." She held her hand to my cheek and then I started seeing images. I saw memories that had been shoved back in the deep recesses of my mind. Nights spent looking in the stars with Morpheus; Days debating with Thanatos about morality and well, just about everything. It turned out I was closer to him than I thought. I remembered the day he told me why he was always all Mr Doom and gloom. He had once come so close to true love and had it swept away. I'd felt sorry for him and hugged him. There was my tall, strong friend letting me into his inner most secrets. He told me that he wanted things to work out for me, whoever I would fall in love with. But looking back, I think he had always known that I'd end up with Morpheus.

I remembered the night I got a vision from my father. He'd sounded distressed. He'd told me that it was safe to leave the Dreamworld. He told me a Titan named Prometheus was to pick me up the next day and would deliver me to my mother. I hadn't wanted to leave. I spent that night crying. At last, Morpheus had come to comfort me. Nothing physical had happened there and then. It would be the following day that I got my first kiss on the balcony.

I seemed to come back to live town. I realised I wasn't there anymore. They were just memories. My here and now was on Mount Othrys.

"Wow" I said. "Thank you"

"It's my pleasure" Then she hugged me.

"I'm going to go get some sleep now. I'll see you in the morning." She nodded and slowly departed.

That night I dreamt of Morpheus. We were in a garden. All sorts of fruits grew there, some of them unrecognisable. The wind blew softly and the sun shone magnificently. We were sat of the soft green grass, with me in his embrace.

"I've missed you" Morpheus spoke softly into my neck, as he kissed me. "Time moves faster in the Dreamworld."

"Time can also be relevant" I turned around, gently pushed him back so he was lying on the grass and kissed him. For a short time, I was in control. I moved my lips to the corner of his mouth, then to his neck.

"Stephanie"

"Morpheus" He grabbed me and turned the tables. I was beneath him now. I could feel his passion all the way down to the tips of my toes. I pushed his face back gently to breathe. "I...love you" I said between jagged, shallow breaths.

"I love you too" I loved the feeling of his soft, warm lips against mine. "Stephanie, someone needs to have a talk with you." He said, peeling himself from me.

"Later" I replied, pulling him back.

"No. Now" The serious undertone caught my attention.

"Okay"

I was soon sat up, expectant.

"It's time" At that, a flash of light appeared in front of us. A figure stood there. Apollo. I knew those blue eyes anywhere.

"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded.

"Here him out" Morpheus replied.

"No" I stood up, ready to walk away. Morpheus stood too, and held his hand firmly to my waist, pulling me back.

"Please, Stephanie" Apollo pleaded.

"Fine; I clearly see I have no choice. What do you want?"

"I came to explain. The last time we met I..."

"Attacked me"

"I didn't mean to"

"Are you trying to tell me that you just happened to charge at me with your sword? That it was an accident?"

"Yes. I was under the influence of another. I had lost all reason."

"_Clearly. _Well, I was under the influence of Eros."

"Yes, he told me."

"So you're trying to tell me that the Powerful Phoebus Apollo was manipulated by another, eh? How could that be possible? Who...?"

"Eris"

"Who is that"

"Have you ever heard of the Trojan War?"

"Of course. It was over Helen of Troy."

"And who's fault was it?"

"Paris, I guess. He kidnapped the Helen, the wife of King Menelaus, igniting a war."

"Well, yes, but you forget the other chains of event, leading to that. Eris was not invited to a wedding. The scorned goddess showed up anyway, throwing a golden apple and declared it belonged to the fairest. Aphrodite, Athena and Hera all thought it belonged to them. They asked Prince Paris who he thought was the fairest. Hera promised him all of Minor Asia if he declared her the most beautiful. Athena promised victory in every battle, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Needless to say, the foolish young Paris chose Aphrodite. The war for her lasted ten years. _Ten years! _And who was to blame? The love stricken Paris? The beautiful Helen? No, Eris, goddess of Discord and Strife."

It only dawned on me just how powerful this supposedly minor goddess truly was.

"And if she could do that, then it is quite possible that she influenced you." I concluded.

"Precisely" Morpheus agreed.

"So please, forgive me Stephanie." He begged. I took a deep breath.

"I forgive you."

"Thank you" He smiled.

"So you brought him here just so I could forgive him?" I asked.

"Yes"

"You're too nice. Aren't you meant to dislike the ex-boyfriend?"

"Why?" I shrugged; I wasn't sure how to answer.

"I guess I'll see you around then Steph." Apollo said. "You haven't seen the last of me."

**Author's Note: I can't promise to update soon but I'll do what I can. Please Review!**


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